News

PROENERGY unveiled a new, 48-MW aeroderivative turbine that provides firm power generation for more than 40,000* American homes. The PE6000 is designed for dispatchable power applications to quickly close the gap between power supply and demand that often occurs during severe weather, solar ramp off, and days with low or limited renewable production.

Each PE6000 begins with a PROENERGY-overhauled engine core from the CF6-80C2, found in aircraft including the Boeing 747. The concept of matching a flight engine core with aeroderivative parts was born and executed through a collaboration between a major European utility and PROENERGY. That engine—which used market available aeroderivative components and now has more than 180 starts and 8,000 run hours—led to a seven-year, $115-million investment in the PE6000 program to include R&D, manufacturing, and infrastructure.

“Our in-house engine and repair expertise was a critical enabler of the PE6000 program,” says Rob Andrews, PROENERGY SVP Operations. “We developed other key areas of expertise in system and component design, materials engineering, and manufacturing excellence to progress our R&D program both internally and in collaboration with key partners and suppliers. The result is a product manufactured proudly with every new part to PROENERGY design and specification.”

PROENERGY has manufactured two PE6000 turbines to date. One unit is installed in a WattBridge generating facility in Houston with more than 100 starts and 750 hours of runtime. The second unit is now ready for testing, and six more units are scheduled for validation in WattBridge facilities. These first eight units alone can provide grid-firming capability to more than 320,000 American homes, and further production will support reliable power generation for millions.

“We aim to deliver exactly what the world needs right now: low-cost, dispatchable generation,” says Jeff Canon, PROENERGY President and CEO. “Our company was founded on finding a better way; for us, this meant giving flight engines new life and becoming an OEM for aeroderivative turbines.”  
* Based on EIA data available here.