501F & G Users Conference 2025
February 9 -14, 2025
Loews Ventana Canyon
7000 North Resort Drive
Tucson, AZ

Dear Users and Vendors,

On behalf of the Board of Directors for both the F and the G Users Group, and Square One Meeting Planning, I would like to extend to you a warm welcome to the 25th Annual Conference of the 501F & G Users Group meeting February 9th – 14th, 2025 being held at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Arizona. For those of you who like the desert and Southwestern landscape I encourage you to sign up for the golf outing even if you’re not into golf. If you’re into Rocks and Gems or would like to find a one-of-a-kind gift, come a little early and take advantage of the World’s Largest Gem and Mineral Show!            

As I reflect on this year’s conference, I find myself thinking back on all we’ve seen and lived through. This year marks the group’s 25^th year! So much has changed. Some folks are operating their GTs up to 40,000 EOH before doing any maintenance and Combustion Inspections are things of the past for some. Back when this group first met most of us weren’t making it more than two or three thousand hours of operation before we were forced into Combustion Inspections or Hot Gas Paths.

I would love to sit down with the group’s founders and brief them on the state of our fleet and all the accomplishments, while witnessing their reactions. In their minds, did they ever envision a time where an F class gas turbine could run for 6 years straight without any maintenance? Did they ever foresee an un-augmented F class turbine pushing almost 280MW? How amazed would they be at such a robust and supportive aftermarket environment which we all get to enjoy?

Many of you, vendor and user alike have traveled this path with us as a group and have overcome many of those historical challenges, and driven change to the point where we find ourselves today. It’s a great place to be with great people, great challenges, and for me it’s been great fun. The last few years have not painted a pretty picture for our fleet. National and worldwide pressures being applied to our fleet and industry in general do not outline a pleasant future. Based on new unit orders coming in from all over the world, it appears that the gas turbine fleet indeed serves a valuable and critical role in helping underwrite, support, and backstop the energy “transition” that seems to be in its infancy.

As I look ahead, I see this fleet of both mature F & G units, as well as the advanced F’s all remaining and becoming even more relevant respectively. Last year our first-time attendees were almost record in number. There is evidence that growth is happening, and that people see a future in this fleet. As such, it is my hope that this group of users, vendors, and supporters will have many more years together to innovate, challenge, and learn from each other.

We have always taken pride in maintaining low costs for our users and vendors, ensuring a quality environment for all participants while remaining financially sound. However, due to rising planning costs, we have made adjustments to exhibitor and sponsorship rates for the first time in over five years to better align with the increasing expenses of hosting the 501F & G Users Group Annual Conference. This necessary adjustment will help cover the significant rise in food and beverage costs, audiovisual equipment rental fees, and overall meeting logistics. By updating our rates, we can continue to uphold the high standard of service and quality that our Users and Vendors have come to expect, ensuring a premier conference experience while managing the growing costs of conference production.

I recognize the value of our mission and have been told by attendees of the importance of the knowledge gained by participation in the annual conference.  All of our vendors and users are an important ingredient in the ongoing success of this conference.  Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience for the betterment of us all! In closing, I am grateful for the support, knowledge sharing, collaboration, friendships and relationships that have grown and blossomed over the last 25 years together.

 

 

 

See you in Tucson!

 

See you soon,

Ivan Kush

President & Chairman

501F Users Group Inc.