ABSTRACT

The convergence of digital twin technologies and predictive maintenance for combined-cycle turbines (CCTs) within load-bearing smart structures represents a critical innovation at the intersection of structural engineering, real-time systems monitoring, and global energy governance. This review explores a framework that integrates sensor-driven machine learning models—such as Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks and convolutional neural networks (CNNs)—with digital twin environments to detect anomalies, predict failures, and optimize maintenance schedules for CCTs embedded in energy-intensive structural systems, including smart high-rises and industrial campuses. Beyond technical performance, this framework is positioned as a strategic asset in the practice of energy diplomacy: the use of technological infrastructure and cross-border energy solutions to advance national interests, foster geopolitical cooperation, and stabilize transnational energy security arrangements. The review critically examines how nations can leverage predictive maintenance frameworks and smart infrastructure as instruments of diplomatic engagement through bilateral and multilateral agreements, particularly in energy-exporting or energy-deficient regions. Case examples include the integration of such systems in joint economic zones, sustainable development corridors, and multinational infrastructure investment programs such as the EU Green Deal and U.S.-Indo-Pacific energy partnerships. Economically, the framework supports resilience planning by reducing operational downtime, minimizing structural fatigue under extreme climate events, and enhancing return on infrastructure investments, all of which are vital in intergovernmental negotiations on sustainability and disaster preparedness. This interdisciplinary synthesis demonstrates how structural engineering innovations—when linked with predictive analytics and international cooperation—can serve not only technical goals but also global diplomatic objectives centered on energy resilience, climate adaptation, and infrastructural sovereignty.