After seven years of planning and construction comprising more than 3.7 million man hours, Ansaldo Energia has unveiled its latest gas turbine – the largest and most powerful ever built in Italy.

Nicknamed ‘Monte Bianco’, the 50Hz maxi H-class turbine was made in Genoa and weighs 520 tonnes.

Following a launch ceremony yesterday, it will be installed at a combined cycle plant operated by Italian energy company Edison in Marghera, near Venice.

Once operational, it will generate enough power for 500,000 homes and also has the ability to partly run on hydrogen.

Ansaldo said that the turbine reduces CO2 emissions by 40% and nitrogen oxide emissions by over 70% compared to the current average of the Italian gas turbine fleet.

“We do not hide our pride,” said Ansaldo Energia chief executive Giuseppe Marino yesterday at the launch event which was live-streamed on YouTube.

He emphasized how some construction work on the turbine “took place in a difficult time due to the limitations imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, in maximum safety, Ansaldo Energia staff worked tirelessly to guarantee that the Edison turbine could be delivered in due time.”

Marino said the turbine was “a truly performing machine which, thanks to its innovative technology, high efficiency and operational flexibility, represents our best business card to be front players of the energy transition”.

He added that the launch of the turbine was “a success that we hope will be a good omen for the whole industrial system of our country in such a difficult and challenging moment”.