New Turbo Generators Quadruple Power Generating Capacity For China’s Heavy Destroyers

China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy warships have begun to integrate new 20-megawatt turbo-generators, which were reportedly developed by the 704 Research Institute of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation. The integration was announced by the institute itself, although it did not specify on which ships they were installed, leading to conflicting theories that either the elite new Type 055 Class destroyers were using them or that they were being integrated onto smaller warships with plans for a larger version of the generator to come later. The generator will allow for fully electric propulsion for Chinese ships, which has been one of the few fields in which the U.S. had retained an advantage in the technologies of its surface navy as its three Zumwalt Class destroyers have integrated similar technologies in its own generators. 

The new power output of Chinese destroyers is expected to be 400% of what it originally was, and allow ships to deploy a range of next generation weapons systems including laser weapons and electromagnetic railguns. China was notably the first to test electromagnetic railguns at sea, and is thought to also have a lead over major competitors in laser technologies. The new turbo-generator will be far more efficient than diesel or combustion turbine engines, or a hybrid system, saving on fuel and allowing ships to maintain high speeds for longer periods. Unlike the U.S. Navy, which has integrated new generators in very limited number onboard just three ships, China’s Type 055 Class destroyers are being manufactured in much larger numbers and have been entered into service without the delays and performance issues which have plagued the. Zumwalt program. Issues surrounding the reliability of turbo-generator technologies, based on the Zumwalt's own performance, raise questions regarding whether new generators could impose some difficulties for warships which integrate them at least in the short term until the technology is better refined.