VP of supply chain at the owner
Owns the long-lead orders and the slot reservations.
A verified lead time on every long-lead line, with alternatives already screened against the specification.
Zinit Industries Power plants
Power plant sourcing that protects the COD.
With gas turbines booked for years and a step-up transformer taking nearly three to arrive, the equipment list now decides the commercial operation date. Zinit's AI agents check every long-lead line against the date the plant needs it, find a qualified supplier who can deliver sooner, and run the bidding so the earlier slot wins.
- 103M+ supplier and company database
- First RFP in under an hour
- Your team directs and approves
Example plant: 620 MW combined cycleThe path to the grid, and the week each piece is on siteon time late
- 143weeks
the average wait for a generator step-up transformer in mid-2025, against about 50 weeks for a transformer in 2021 (Wood Mackenzie).
- $25Mto hold a slot
what one US utility agreed to pay its turbine maker to reserve a manufacturing slot for a plant entering service in 2030, a step its filing says did not exist two years earlier.
- 166 GWof new peak demand
US utilities forecast over the next five years, up from 24 GW in the forecast three years earlier (Grid Strategies).
What PJM pays for capacity, $ per MW-day, by delivery year
Worked example: a month late on the 620 MW plant above, in PJM
$10.7M a month
Our arithmetic from the cited prices, before lost energy margin and any delay damages in the offtake contract, which your own contracts set. If the plant cleared PJM's auction and misses its delivery year, PJM also charges the clearing price plus 20% for each day of the shortfall. In ERCOT, with no capacity payment, the month is lost energy margin and interest.
Who decides on a plant build, and what each of them gets.
A new plant is bought by a committee and built by a chain of parties, and each of them owns a piece of the date.
EPC contractor
Owns the construction schedule and the owner-furnished equipment.
Delivery dates set against the milestones that need them: switchyard energization, backfeed and first fire.
CFO, lenders and tax-equity investors
Owns the deposits, the delay damages and the financing.
The cost of a slip per line, formula in view, forfeited deposits included.
Owner's engineer and the lenders' engineer
Owns the specification and every supplier on it.
Candidates screened against the spec before anyone calls them; the veto stays theirs.
Equipment manufacturers
Owns the factory slots.
A competitive event scored on delivery date, so the earlier slot wins.
Transmission owner
Owns the interconnection and the switchyard equipment it will accept.
A search limited to its standards and accepted makers from the start.
Five things that go wrong, and what Zinit does about each.
The turbine slot is secured, and the step-up transformer is still nearly three years away.
What Zinit doesEvery long-lead line checked against switchyard energization, backfeed and COD on day one.
The approved vendor list has one maker per category and no time to qualify another.
What Zinit does103M+ suppliers searched, narrowed to the makers your spec and the transmission owner accept; the factory's own quote confirms the slot.
The award goes to the lowest price while the delivery date slips.
What Zinit doesBids scored on delivery date as well as price.
The owner's engineer, the lenders' engineer and the transmission owner can each veto a new name.
What Zinit doesCandidates screened first, so their reviews run while the bids are in.
Nobody can tell the CFO what a month late costs, line by line.
What Zinit doesCost of delay per line, formula in view, deposits included.
Three moves that give the date back.
103M+ suppliers, AI agents that find and screen them and run the bidding, and procurement people who work beside your team.
See which lines will be late
Each long-lead line's delivery date against the date the site needs it, from the switchyard to first fire.
The risk to the COD, in weeks and money.
Find a supplier who can deliver sooner
A factory that meets the specification and ships earlier, confirmed by its own quote, because no maker's queue sits in a database.
A vetted alternative with a quoted slot.
Run the bidding on delivery date
The event is set up from your equipment list and your engineer's datasheets in under an hour, the bids take the weeks they take, and your team awards.
Weeks back on the schedule.
Sometimes no factory beats the incumbent's date, and then you know it in weeks rather than at the factory test. The turbine slot you already hold stays yours, since this work sits around it: on the transformers, the breakers and the balance of plant.
From the equipment list to a recovered COD, in six steps.
Click a step. Zinit is connected to your project drive, schedule and ERP, so nothing is uploaded. Every figure belongs to the example plant.
Connected sources, already read
- Project drivePDF EPC specification, rev. B: 412 pagesread
- Project drivePDF Owner's engineer datasheets: transformers, breakersread
- Equipment registerXLSX Long-lead list, 31 linesread
- Primavera P6P6 Master schedule, 2,460 activitiessynced
- ERPPO Purchase orders and slot reservationssynced
Equipment read from the specification, linked to the schedule
| Line | Qty | Spec | Named supplier | Activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gas turbine | 2 | F-class, 60 Hz | Incumbent OEM, slot held | Power island | p. 18 |
| Step-up transformer | 3 | 250 MVA, 345/18 kV | Incumbent OEM | Switchyard backfeed | p. 64 |
| HV circuit breaker | 6 | 362 kV, 63 kA, dead tank | Incumbent OEM | 345 kV switchyard | p. 71 |
| HRSG | 2 | Triple pressure, reheat | Incumbent OEM | Power island | p. 33 |
| Cooling tower | 1 | 10-cell, counterflow | Incumbent OEM | Circulating water | p. 102 |
Lead times against the date needed on site
| Line | On site | Needed | Lead time | Ordered | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Step-up transformer | Week 156 | Week 130 | 152 weeks | Week 4 | Quote, 3 Sep |
| HV circuit breaker | Week 146 | Week 130 | 142 weeks | Week 4 | Quote, 28 Aug |
| Gas turbine | Week 98 | Week 104 | Slot held | Reserved | Reservation |
| HRSG | Week 92 | Week 100 | 84 weeks | Week 8 | Quote, 1 Sep |
| Cooling tower | Week 72 | Week 110 | 60 weeks | Week 12 | Quote, 20 Aug |
Forecast COD: week 182. The step-up transformers set the date, and the breakers are 16 weeks late behind them, which the schedule's critical path does not show.
Delay against the planned COD
Planned CODWeek 156
ForecastWeek 182
Delay26 weeks
Cost of the delay$64M
| Per month: $10.7M | Basis | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity payments not earned | 620 MW × 74% accredited × $329.17 × 30.4 days = $4.6M | in the $10.7M |
| Interest during construction | 7% a year on the debt drawn by COD = $6.1M | in the $10.7M |
| Energy margin not earned | Expected output × spark spread | add yours |
| Offtake delay damages | From the PPA or tolling agreement | add yours |
| Cancellation charges and re-engineering | If a line moves supplier | add yours |
Two sourcing events recover 18 of the 26 weeks
On site in week 138 instead of 156, screened against the spec; the owner's engineer reviews while the bids are in.
- Recovers
- 10 weeks
- Delay cost avoided
- $25M
- Cancellation charge
- $2.7M
Once the transformers move, breakers due in week 146 set the date, so the event asks for week 138 or sooner.
- Recovers
- 8 more weeks
- Delay cost avoided
- $20M
- Cancellation charge
- $0.6M
The plant still finishes 8 weeks late, about $20M of delay cost. Cancellation charges are an assumed 20% of each order, and your purchase order's termination schedule decides the real figure.
Supplier Search, prefilled from the specification
- Step-up transformer
- 250 MVA, 345/18 kV
- Qty 3
- On site by week 138
- Makers the transmission owner accepts
- Impedance, losses, sound, BIL, bushings
| Supplier | Region | Lead time | On site | Spec gaps | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transformer OEM A | Europe | 130 weeks | Week 138 | None found | RFQ reply, 2 Sep |
| Transformer OEM B | North America | 141 weeks | Week 149 | None found | RFQ reply, 29 Aug |
| Transformer OEM C | East Asia | 118 weeks | Week 126 | Sound at ONAF rating | RFQ reply, 1 Sep |
Every lead time here is that factory's own reply to the RFQ, which asks for the factory-test week and the date on site, not only ex-works, because no maker's queue sits in a database. OEM C is faster and misses the sound limit, so it stays off the shortlist unless your engineer asks for it.
Forecast COD moves to week 172, the breakers now set the date, and the delay cost falls from $64M to $39M.
Each kind of plant has its own long‑lead list.
Zinit runs the same check on every plant, and the lines that decide the date change with the technology. Pick the plant you are building.
Combined cycle
What sets the date
- Turbine slots: GE Vernova expects to be mostly sold out through 2030.
- Step-up transformers: 143 weeks on average.
- 345 kV breakers: 151 weeks on average in late 2023.
- HRSG and steam turbine, bought with the power island: about a $25M down payment per train.
Where sourcing moves it
Around the turbine you already hold: the transformers, the breakers, the HRSG and the balance of plant, where a second qualified maker usually exists.
Peakers: aeroderivatives and gas engines
What sets the date
- Smaller turbines: 18 to 36 months from order.
- Gas engines for prime power: deliveries running into 2029.
- An aeroderivative commissions in about six months on site; a heavy-duty unit needs about 18.
- The step-up transformer and switchgear, as for any plant.
Where sourcing moves it
The units themselves, bid across the engine and aeroderivative makers; refurbished aeroderivatives have been offered for delivery in 2027.
Battery storage
What sets the date
- The main power transformer and the medium-voltage switchgear.
- Battery containers and power conversion from suppliers that keep the tax credit.
- Projects starting construction in 2026 need at least 55% of the equipment cost from suppliers that are not prohibited foreign entities, rising five points a year.
Where sourcing moves it
A supplier search that checks the foreign-entity rule alongside the delivery date, so the earlier slot does not cost the credit.
Nuclear restarts and uprates
What sets the date
- Three shut-down reactors are being restarted, the first contracted to supply power by March 2027.
- 31 power uprate applications are expected from 2026 to 2032, about 2,421 MWe.
- Safety-related parts need an Appendix B supplier or commercial-grade dedication.
Where sourcing moves it
Balance-of-plant and non-safety scopes, and replacements for obsolete equipment, bid like any other line; safety-related items stay inside your Appendix B program.
Figures from the cited sources. Dates and thresholds move, so your own quotes and counsel decide.
The wait for the equipment, before the shortage and since.
Lead time is the wait from order to delivery. Grey is the earlier benchmark and pink the latest published one, solid to the low end of the range.
Heavy-duty gas turbinesThree makers, factory slots sold years ahead
Generator step-up transformersElectrical steel and hand-wound coils, mostly imported
High-voltage circuit breakersSwitchyard breakers at transmission voltage
The five categories that decide the date, and the market for each.
The long-lead lines, the lever on each, and the manufacturers the search runs across.
Heavy-duty gas turbines
Wait today3 to 6 years
The slot you hold is the asset; where the design and the air permit allow, aeroderivatives or a refurbished unit can bridge the gap sooner.
Suppliers in this market
Generator step-up transformers
Wait today143 weeks average
A second qualified factory, bid on delivery date, with impedance, sound and cooling settled before the bid.
Suppliers in this market
High-voltage breakers
Wait today151 weeks (late 2023)
A date-weighted event across the makers the transmission owner accepts.
Suppliers in this market
Heat recovery steam generators
Wait todayWith the power island
Owners now buy HRSGs before the EPC is hired, so bid across the specialist makers as soon as the turbine model fixes the exhaust conditions.
Suppliers in this market
- Nooter/Eriksen
- Vogt Power
Gas engines and aeroderivatives
Wait today18–36 months
Smaller units for peaking or bridge power, bid across the engine and aeroderivative makers.
Suppliers in this market
Established manufacturers in each category, shown to illustrate the market. They are not customers, partners or users of Zinit.
The questions a sourcing team asks first.
Our turbine slot is already reserved.
Keep it, and nobody contacts your turbine maker about it. The turbine is rarely the line Zinit changes; the work is on the step-up transformers, breakers, HRSGs and balance of plant around it, where a second qualified maker usually exists.
The transmission owner specifies the switchyard equipment.
Then the search starts from its standards and its list of accepted makers, which your team provides, before any supplier is invited.
Our owner's engineer and the lenders' engineer will not accept an unknown manufacturer.
They keep the veto, and nobody is invited until your team approves the list. Zinit's agents and people screen on specification, test standards, references and lead time, and your engineers qualify while the bids are in, not after the award.
Our EPC holds a lump-sum contract.
Many owners now buy the longest lines themselves and hand them to the EPC as owner-furnished equipment. Zinit works for whoever places the order, the owner before notice to proceed or the EPC after it.
We hold slot reservations with deposits, and frame agreements with our incumbents.
Nothing here cancels them. The second source is for the line whose slot already misses the date, and any deposit or cancellation charge sits inside the recovery calculation.
A quoted lead time is ex-works, and we need the unit on site after the factory test.
The bids are scored on the date on site. The RFQ asks each factory for the factory-test week and the delivered date, and your team sees both.
Our single-line diagrams cannot leave our systems.
They do not need to. The example works from the equipment list, the datasheets and the schedule, and suppliers see only the RFQ package your team approves.
We also build peakers and battery storage, and we run plants.
The same rules apply to any line with a need-by date: transformers and switchgear for a peaker or storage site, or parts and services for an outage window, get the same check and the same date-weighted bidding.
What does it cost?
Zinit is supplier-funded and free to buyers, the same as the rest of the platform: the suppliers who compete for your business fund it.
What does Zinit not do?
It does not manufacture equipment, hold inventory or reserve factory slots, and it does not replace your schedule, your ERP or your engineers' judgement. Sometimes no factory beats the incumbent's date, and then you know it in weeks.
Start with one equipment list and one schedule.
See which lines put your COD at risk before you commit to anything. Your team directs and approves, and Zinit's procurement people work alongside yours.
Sources
- Wood Mackenzie with American Clean Power (September 2025), Making the Connection: generator step-up transformers 143 weeks and power transformers 128 weeks on average, Q2 2025
- Wood Mackenzie (April 2024): transformer lead times about 50 weeks in 2021; large GSU and substation units 80 to 210 weeks
- Kentucky PSC Case 2025-00045, direct testimony (February 2025): $25 million to reserve a manufacturing slot for 2030 commercial operation
- Grid Strategies (November 2025): five-year US peak load growth forecast of 166 GW, up from 24 GW
- PJM (July 2025), 2026/2027 Base Residual Auction report: all prices cleared at the cap of $329.17/MW-day
- PJM (December 2025), 2027/2028 Base Residual Auction report: RTO prices of $28.92 (2024/25) and $269.92 (2025/26), and $333.44 at the cap for 2027/28
- PJM (July 2026), 2028/2029 Base Residual Auction results: $325.00 at the cap, 6,831 MW short of the reliability requirement, 525 MW of new generation and uprates
- PJM, ELCC class ratings for the 2026/2027 Base Residual Auction: gas combined cycle 74%
- PJM Manual 18, revision 63 (September 2026): the daily deficiency charge on a capacity commitment that is not delivered
- Lazard, LCOE+ (July 2026): combined-cycle quotes of $2,400 to $2,600/kW for projects with a COD after 2028
- Wood Mackenzie (February 2026): gas turbine delivery almost five years after order in 2025, about two in 2021
- Wood Mackenzie (April 2026): six-year gas turbine lead times
- GE Vernova, first-quarter 2026 earnings call (April 2026): gas turbine lead time directionally about three years
- GE Vernova, second-quarter 2026 earnings call (July 2026): mostly sold out through 2030; aeroderivatives as a bridge
- Wood Mackenzie (May 2024): high-voltage circuit breakers 151 weeks on average in Q4 2023, up more than 130% in a year
- POWER (August 2026): a four-year lead time on a 345 kV breaker; owners buying extended scope ahead of the EPC
- POWER (April 2026): owners now buy HRSGs, transformers and switchgear directly
- Norton Rose Fulbright, Project Finance NewsWire (August 2025), The Shift Back to Gas: buying the power island, about a $25 million down payment per train
- EPRI, in Utility Dive (March 2026): smaller gas turbines take 18 to 36 months
- Caterpillar, second-quarter 2026 earnings call (August 2026): gas engines for prime power out to late 2028 and into 2029
- IEEE Spectrum (October 2025): refurbished aeroderivative units deliverable in 2027
- Troutman Pepper Locke (February 2026), on Treasury and IRS Notice 2026-15: material-assistance thresholds of 55% for storage beginning construction in 2026, rising five points a year
- American Nuclear Society, Nuclear News (September 2026): the Palisades restart, contracted to supply power by March 2027
- World Nuclear News (September 2026): the Crane Clean Energy Center restart, on track for 2027
- American Nuclear Society, Nuclear News (April 2026): the Duane Arnold restart, targeted for the first quarter of 2029
- US Nuclear Regulatory Commission: expected power uprate applications, 31 for 2026 to 2032, about 2,421 MWe
- 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, Criterion VII: control of purchased material, equipment and services
- 10 CFR 21.3: basic components and commercial-grade dedication