Given the complexity of turbine, gearbox and overall drivetrain design, it’s difficult to determine what will break and when, but a conservative annual repair rate of 2.5% could result in worst-case North American fleet-wide expenses totalling more than $10bn in the coming decade.
Fortunately, help is on the horizon. We are witnessing the development of sophisticated operating strategies by fleet owners to accept failure frequency, while mitigating the financial impact.
