CHENGDU, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- China shipped its first domestically developed F-class heavy-duty gas turbine for overseas use on Friday, marking a step forward in its push to enter a global market long ruled by a handful of international manufacturers.

This undated file photo shows China's self-developed 300 MW F-class heavy-duty gas turbine. (Photo: Xinhua)

A truck carrying the 50-megawatt (MW) G50 turbine, developed by Dongfang Turbine Co., Ltd., left Deyang City in southwest China's Sichuan Province for Kazakhstan.

The delivery is part of an order signed in November 2025 to supply three G50 units for a power generation project in Kazakhstan. It is the first overseas order for a Chinese-developed F-class heavy-duty gas turbine.

Li He, deputy general manager of the company, said it will also provide lifecycle services for the units and has customized components, including air intake and rotor systems, to meet local operating requirements.

Heavy-duty gas turbines are critical equipment for power generation and mechanical drive applications.

F-class turbines, among the most widely used heavy-duty gas turbines globally, operate at temperatures of around 1,400 degrees Celsius. Their development involves expertise in more than 100 fields, including high-temperature alloys, precision casting and aerodynamics.

China has expanded its domestic capabilities in heavy-duty gas turbines in recent years, with independently developed models now covering capacities of up to 550 MW, said Fang Yu, head of a national laboratory for clean and efficient turbine power equipment at Dongfang Turbine Co., Ltd.

The export comes amid rising global demand for gas turbines, driven in part by growing electricity consumption from artificial intelligence data centers and changes in the global energy mix.

Feng Zhenping, a professor at Xi'an Jiaotong University, said China's manufacturing supply chain, delivery capacity and cost competitiveness could help its turbine manufacturers gain a larger foothold in the international market.