POWERGEN Kicks Off in Dallas

February 11, 2025
By Alissa Espinoza

POWERGEN International 2025 has officially commenced in Dallas, running from February 11 to 13 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. This event unites professionals from the power generation sector, including utilities, engineering, procurement, construction (EPCs), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and energy users. Registration for this year’s event has increased by 11% compared to last year, reaching approximately 5,500 attendees, with expectations to close around 7,000. There are also 477 exhibiting companies participating.

The central theme for 2025 is Destination 2050, supported by various tracks, including POWERGEN Knowledge Hubs on the exhibit floor, a technical conference program, meet-ups, connection lunches, networking receptions, and multiple keynote addresses.

A new feature at this year’s event is the Center Stage on the exhibit floor, which features elevated panels discussing topics such as plant weatherization and the revival of retired nuclear power facilities. Additionally, the HYDROVISION International event is now incorporated into POWERGEN International, resulting in more hydropower-focused sessions and exhibitors. Kevin Clark, Content Director of Clarion Events, expressed excitement about this integration, stating, “We are thrilled to have them and plan to deliver the best of HYDROVISION at POWERGEN from here on.”

This year, there is a heightened emphasis on facilitating connections among attendees through Connections Lunches on the exhibit floor. Clark highlighted several key industry themes that will be explored over the three days: “The power generation industry is at the intersection of energy transition and energy expansion. Companies are striving to meet clean energy goals, complicated by the rising energy demands from data centers, manufacturing, and electrification. While renewable energy sources are on the rise, utilities are also preparing for the largest increase in gas plants in over a decade. Maintaining reliability amid a changing generation mix is another crucial theme. In summary, we must ask ourselves, ‘How do we work together to overcome the multitude of challenges and market conditions we face?’ The only constant is change, so how is the industry adapting?”

Turbomachinery International will cover many of the technical sessions, alongside exclusive video coverage and interviews conducted on the show floor.

Keynote Addresses

The keynote session kicks off on Tuesday morning from 8:30 to 10 a.m., featuring speakers such as Chris Crosby, CEO of Compass Datacenters; Marc Spieler, Senior Managing Director of Energy at NVIDIA; Eliecer Viamontes, CEO of Entergy Texas; and Richard Voorberg, President of North America at Siemens Energy.

Throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, additional keynote addresses will delve into topics shaping the future of energy, including:

• AI’s Power Play: Meeting the Growing Energy Demands of Data Centers
• The Role of Gas Turbines in the Clean Energy Transition

Another panel will feature discussions among utilities, digital infrastructure, and other stakeholders on how market participants can address the growth of data center loads. Clark noted an increased interest in nuclear power, not only to meet the electricity needs of AI but as a clean-firm solution. He emphasized that gas turbines remain the backbone of power generation, with educational sessions focusing on retrofits, flexibility, and emissions reduction. The Optimizing Plant Performance Track will showcase numerous utility-led case studies and technical content.

Technical Sessions

This year’s technical sessions will address advancements in gas turbine and combustion systems, hydrogen, long-duration energy storage, carbon capture, nuclear and hydropower energy, and more. Jeff Wirt, Director of Catalyst Systems at EnergyLink International, and Paul DiMascio, Chief Engineer of ProEnergy Services, will present findings from a breakthrough in gas turbine NOx and CO removal. EnergyLink International has developed a direct ammonia injection system that simplifies the process, removing complex components typically associated with conventional selective catalyst reduction systems.

Megan Reusser, Technology Manager at Burns & McDonnell, will provide a market update on commercially available long-duration energy storage technologies, discussing their development status and features, including thermal storage, pumped hydro, mechanical energy storage, and gravity storage.

On the hydrogen front, Kurt Lyell from HDR will present a case study on a 400-MW natural gas peaking plant combined with a green hydrogen facility in West Texas, using solar and wind power to generate hydrogen. His presentation will focus on the project’s economics and the key challenges and opportunities for large-scale green hydrogen adoption.

Other sessions will explore the design of natural gas-fired plants for future conversion to hydrogen and the necessary technical modifications to facilitate this transition. Many discussions will center on the energy transition and decarbonization, including the keynote on The Role of Gas Turbines in the Clean Energy Transition. This panel will highlight the rapid development of low-carbon fuel retrofits for gas turbines, focusing on hydrogen, ammonia, and carbon capture and sequestration.

The Wednesday afternoon session, Lessons Learned from Carbon Capture Pilot Projects, led by Bob Slettehaugh of Kiewit and Kevin Lauzze of Sargent & Lundy, will share insights from various CO2 capture pilot projects.

Stay tuned to our social media and website for coverage of sessions, show-floor video interviews, exclusive Q&As, and more. Clark remarked, “It’s always exciting to see people learning from one another and networking with industry colleagues they haven’t seen in a year. I look forward to the response to our keynote lineup and an even busier show floor!”