In December 2016, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) announced the introduction of its JAC gas turbine—a new air-cooled J-series model. The JAC has flexible ramping capabilities, an impressive 64% efficiency, 99.5% reliability, and a combined cycle output of 575 MW. Furthermore, the design has been thoroughly tested, with more than 14,000 operating hours at T-Point, MHPS’s validation facility.

The combination of those factors led customers in Asia, the U.S., Mexico, and South America to technically select the M501JAC for projects 26 times in the past year, representing more than 14 GW of new power generation. In addition to the JAC technical selections, MHPS has 25 J-series gas turbines already in operation and 31 more units have been ordered. The platform has more operating hours than advanced turbine models offered by MHPS's two largest competitors combined.

“The success of the JAC is no coincidence,” said Paul Browning, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems America (MHPSA). “The company started on a journey in 2004 by setting a goal of 65% efficiency and has methodically pursued that goal."

Browning gave a keynote presentation during a recent power-industry conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, and he spoke to POWER shortly after the session. During the interview, Browning provided highlights from his keynote address and touched on several other topics. Despite restructuring at GE and Siemens, Browning expressed optimism about the future of MHPS.