This comparison helps inventory-led buyers choose among factory-new OEM paths, new-surplus stock, and used packages, heat-rate, NOx ppm, or combined-cycle totals. newgasturbines.com stays inventory-first: shortlist on the live hub, then decide which commercial state fits duty, schedule, and documentation risk.
USP&E as Your Guide to Factory Tests That Catch Problems
If inlet filtration is left as a late intake detail, the risk is fast compressor fouling, high differential pressure that cuts output and filter changes far more often than planned. Your new unit loses performance in its first dusty season, and the rework delays your project.
Get the Inspection and Test Plan Right
New and new-surplus often win when operating-history risk is unacceptable to lenders or insurers, when configuration must match a narrow campus standard, or when used documentation cannot clear diligence in time. Factory-new OEM paths win when configuration freedom outweighs queue risk — still wrap with EPC so “available turbines” do not become stranded foundations.
Lead times for large power transformers can exceed the turbine’s own delivery, so you may need to order before the grid study is final. If you do, build in margin on rating, tap range and impedance so late study results do not force a redesign. Ask suppliers for factory test plans and witness the key tests yourself, because a failed test found at your site costs far more time than one found in the factory.
Keep your plan as a controlled document. Every change to tests or criteria should be agreed in writing, so nothing quietly drops out under schedule pressure.
Build One FAT Calendar and Use Good Inspectors
Programmes that include data-centre power plants must reserve foundation land, crane pads and vibration separation for future units. A new foundation poured too close to a running machine can transmit vibration or disturb settled soil, so plan the layout for the final site.
Your inspectors should record findings clearly, classify them by severity and agree actions before leaving the factory. Agree before testing how findings will be graded and who signs them off. A finding written vaguely becomes your argument later; a finding with photographs, measurements and an agreed close-out date gets fixed.
Release Only With Complete Evidence
Release your units for shipment only with a complete data book, a classified punch list and preservation records. Your gas turbine generators should arrive with the paperwork commissioning teams need. Apply equivalent evidence rules to a remanufactured GE Frame 6B or used or new gas turbines from any source.
Programmes that add data-centre power plants behind the meter still interact with the grid, and utilities increasingly apply connection requirements to large behind-the-meter plants. Plan studies for the final site configuration, so each new block does not trigger a fresh round of surprises.
Proof from recent work
Data centres · USA
Major US hyperscale developers
USP&E refurbished 7 GE Frame 6Bs to zero hours in-house for major US hyperscale developers.
Mining · Mali
Barrick Gold, Loulo-Gounkoto
USP&E refurbished the 104 MW power station, rebuilding more than 80 MW of Caterpillar CM32 engines and adding new zero-hour capacity.
Read the case study ›Mining · Tanzania
Perseus Mining, Nyanzaga Gold Project
USP&E supplied 28 Cummins KTA50 containerised gensets for the Nyanzaga Gold Project in Tanzania.
Your path from first call to reliable power
Your 3-step plan: 1. Share purchase orders, vendor test plans and schedules under NDA. 2. Receive a reviewed inspection and test plan and FAT calendar. 3. Witness, close findings, release and commission with accountable O&M.
- Request the vendor’s draft inspection and test plan for every package and auxiliary skid in scope.
- Agree acceptance criteria, records, and the review, witness, and hold level for each activity, with notice periods.
- Build one FAT calendar across turbines, generators, transformers, and any natural gas engines, and assign inspectors.
- Apply equivalent evidence rules to a remanufactured GE Frame 6B or other used or new gas turbines sourced through the inventory hub.
- Release for shipment only with a complete data book, a classified punch list, and preservation records; reuse the plan structure for the New USP&E FX-45 45MW Modular Gas Turbine for the Hyperscale Data Center sector in the USA (50/60 Hz, capacity slots from 2028).
- Carry deferred tests into the site acceptance plan and file the data book as the O&M baseline.
Common questions
Why is factory acceptance testing important for new gas turbines?
USP&E values factory acceptance testing because the factory is the cheapest place to find a defect. Once a package is shipped and installed, corrections cost more and take longer, so a clear test plan catches problems while specialists and spare parts are close by.
What are witness and hold points in an inspection and test plan?
USP&E uses witness points where the buyer attends if available and hold points where work cannot continue until the buyer signs. Hold points sit at critical activities such as rotor balancing, hydrostatic tests and full-speed runs, with agreed notice periods for travel.
How fast can USP&E respond to a factory test plan review?
USP&E can review your purchase orders and vendor test plans as soon as you share them. Engineers flag missing tests and weak acceptance criteria first, then propose witness and hold points, and the timeline depends on the manufacturing schedule and the number of packages.
What should a turbine data book contain before shipment?
USP&E expects data books to hold material certificates, test records, dimensional checks, settings, drawings and preservation instructions for each package. A complete data book lets commissioning teams start quickly and supports your warranty and insurance claims if problems appear later in service.
Should used turbines follow the same testing rules as new ones?
USP&E applies equivalent evidence rules to remanufactured and used turbines, with inspections, test records and data books matched to their history. Consistent rules let you compare units fairly and make sure every machine arrives with the paperwork your commissioning team needs.
Why owners choose USP&E
USP&E is a full-service engineering, EPC and O&M company, not a broker. One team designs, builds and runs your plant, so nothing falls between contracts.
Racing a go-live date?
Tell us your load, fuel and timeline. A USP&E engineer will come back with options for New Gas Turbines projects, not a sales pitch.