Geothermal Power Plant Project Stages: Critical Points from Planning to Commissioning (and Common Mistakes)

Introduction

A geothermal power plant (GPP) project doesn't move in a single straight line — planning, design, procurement, construction, testing and commissioning are all interconnected, and a delay or an unclear decision at one stage feeds directly into the next. Field experience shows that the most costly delays in these projects usually don't come from one single big mistake — they come from unclear criteria at the handoff points between stages.

Stage 1 — Planning and design: the cost of early decisions

This is where alignment between resource/reservoir data and plant capacity/technology selection (flash, ORC, or hybrid) gets established. Assumptions that are left unclear, or locked in too early at this stage, can lead to costly revisions later. Common mistake: moving design specifications forward without sufficiently cross-checking them against actual field resource data.

Stage 2 — Procurement: schedule synchronization

Turbine, generator, and auxiliary equipment procurement timelines need to move in sync with the construction schedule. Common mistake: managing equipment delivery independently from the construction program — which can leave a construction schedule idle waiting for equipment, or equipment ready with no site to receive it.

Stage 3 — Construction: tracking milestones

During construction, independently monitoring whether different subcontractors' work conforms to engineering specifications is critical. Common mistake: tracking milestones based solely on the contractor's own reporting, with no independent verification.

Stage 4 — Testing and commissioning: the most critical handoff

The process from mechanical completion through to operational handover is the stage that demands the most intensive technical coordination. Common mistake: not clearly defining, upfront, the criteria for transitioning from mechanical completion to commissioning — which can create ambiguity and delay between parties over when a system is considered "ready for commissioning."

AVS Energy's experience at this stage comes directly from the field: AVS Energy tracked the full process — from planning through commissioning — as technical coordinator on HEZ Enerji A.Ş.'s 24 MW Moralı Geothermal Power Plant project in Aydın, Türkiye [1]. Similarly, the AVS Energy founding team's role as technical coordinator during the commissioning of a WHR-ORC system at a BOTAŞ natural gas compressor station (November 2025–March 2026) [2] shows that the commissioning stage demands a similar discipline across different energy conversion technologies.

Stage 5 — Transition to operation: monitoring performance

Technical follow-up doesn't end once the plant is commissioned — comparing operating performance against expected efficiency targets, and catching deviations early, matters just as much. On record from the AVS Energy founding team's work at Enerjeo Holding's Kemaliye Geothermal Power Plant (2015–2020): efficiency-improvement work delivered a 20% increase in annual electricity generation efficiency and roughly $2 million in annual savings [3] — a concrete example of the value that continued monitoring after commissioning can create.

The common thread across these stages: interface management

A pattern repeats across all five stages above: the biggest risk doesn't sit within a stage itself — it shows up at the handoff points between one stage and the next. Independent technical coordination gives the project owner a safety net at exactly these handoff points, because no contractor or supplier is contractually obligated to monitor transition risks outside its own scope.

Conclusion

In geothermal power plant projects, delay and cost risk mostly comes not from the stages themselves but from the handoff points between them. Setting clear criteria, independent monitoring, and early-warning mechanisms at every stage from planning through operation increases the likelihood of finishing the project on time and within budget.

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(Helpful — not required — information to have ready: your project's current phase, plant capacity, current contractor/supplier structure, and any technical or schedule issues you're facing.)

FAQ

At which stage do geothermal power plant projects most often see delays?

Field experience shows the transition to testing and commissioning is one of the most critical handoff points — often due to unclear criteria between mechanical completion and the start of commissioning.

At what stage should independent technical coordination start?

Ideally from the planning stage, but it can also be brought into an ongoing project — for example during construction or commissioning.

Is technical follow-up needed after commissioning?

Yes — comparing operating performance against targets and identifying efficiency opportunities can continue to create value after commissioning.

Sources

[1] AVS Energy project experience — HEZ Enerji A.Ş., Moralı Geothermal Power Plant (24 MW), Aydın, Türkiye. Source: AVS Energy corporate project records / persona document.

[2] AVS Energy project experience — BOTAŞ natural gas compressor station, WHR-ORC commissioning technical coordination (November 2025–March 2026). Source: AVS Energy corporate project records / persona document.

[3] AVS Energy founding team experience — Enerjeo Holding, Kemaliye Geothermal Power Plant (August 2015–June 2020), 20% annual efficiency increase / approximately $2 million in savings. Source: AVS Energy corporate project records / CV.