The invention relates to a combustion unit for combusting a liquid fuel. The combustion unit has a fuel inlet, an air inlet and a flue gas outlet which are connected to a combustion chamber for combusting the fuel, wherein the fuel inlet is connected to at least one explosion atomizing unit which is disposed and adapted such that atomized fuel fragments due to gas formation in the atomized fuel. The explosion atomizing unit is preferably an explosion swirl atomizing unit to a system for generating power having at least one gas turbine, at least one compression device driven by the gas turbine and at least one such combustion unit.