Steam attemperation circuit for a combined cycle steam cooled gas turbine

In a combined cycle system including a gas turbine, a steam turbine and a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), wherein gas turbine exhaust gas is used in the heat recovery steam generator for heating steam for the steam turbine, the gas turbine exhaust gas flowing from an entry end to an exit end of the HRSG, and wherein the HRSG includes at least one high pressure evaporator arranged to supply steam to a superheater including multiple passes including a first pass at one end thereof adjacent the evaporator, and a final pass adjacent an opposite end thereof and adjacent the entry end of the heat recovery steam generator, and one or more intermediate passes between the first and final passes, the improvement comprising an attemperating conduit not exposed to the gas turbine exhaust gas, connecting the one end and the opposite end of the superheater, bypassing the intermediate passes to thereby introduce cooler superheated steam from the one end into the superheater at the opposite end.