OREANDA-NEWS. GE’s Power Services business (NYSE: GE) today announced it has secured an order valued at $87 million to upgrade three GT13E2 gas turbines with its MXL2 solutions at Centrica’s South Humber Bank combined-cycle power plant in North East Lincolnshire. The project showcases the value of GE’s expanded services capabilities, following its 2015 acquisition of Alstom Power, to help U.K. utilities increase the efficiency of their natural gas power plants to remain competitive in the country’s ever-changing power industry.

“We are very pleased to make these upgrades at South Humber Bank,” said Mark Futyan, director of merchant power at Centrica’s Distributed Energy and Power business. “The future of this important power station has been secured for at least another decade as we can now return these turbines to full commercial operation and strengthen our competitiveness.”

Given the low capacity agreement prices set in U.K. auctions, existing combined-cycle plants need low, predictable maintenance costs and high performance technology to offer operators a competitive position and enough income from power generation[1].

At Centrica’s 1,285-megawatt (MW) South Humber Bank Power Station, GE will upgrade three GT13E2 gas turbines to MXL2 specifications and will help the plant meet the electricity needs of more than 1 million homes—nearly half the homes in the Yorkshire and Humber regions. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2018. GE’s Power Services business assumed responsibility for the globally installed fleet of GT13E2 gas turbines and MXL2 upgrade solutions as part of GE’s €9.7 billion ($10.6 billion) acquisition of Alstom Power’s generation assets in 2015.

“We are excited to support Centrica in strengthening its competitive positions in the U.K.’s challenging environment,” said Pascal Schweitzer, general manager of GE’s Power Services business in Europe. “In a very competitive segment, only the most high performing and flexible assets will be successfully dispatched. Our MXL2 solution delivers added value by increasing plant performance and extending turbine life as well as reducing inefficiencies in the outage process and decreasing operational costs.”

The upgrades are expected to increase plant capacity by 14 MW and deliver a combined-cycle efficiency increase of 0.7 percent, resulting in annual fuel savings of 7,500 tons and annual reduced CO2 emissions of 1,200 tons. Turbine inspection intervals will be extended to 42,000 equivalent operating hours—almost five years—helping the power plant increase its availability and reduce maintenance expenses to improve long-term profitability. The latest combustor technology advancements will allow the turbines to operate between 30 and 100 percent operating load without violating emissions regulations, providing significant operational flexibility.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com

About GE Power

GE Power is a world leader in power generation with deep domain expertise to help customers deliver electricity from a wide spectrum of fuel sources. We are transforming the electricity industry with the digital power plant, the world’s largest and most efficient gas turbine, full balance of plant, upgrade and service solutions as well as our data-leveraging software. Our innovative technologies and digital offerings help make power more affordable, reliable, accessible and sustainable.

For more information, visit the company's website at www.gepower.com. Follow GE Power on Twitter @GE_Power and on LinkedIn at GE Power.

About GE’s Power Services Business

GE’s Power Services business, headquartered in Baden, Switzerland, delivers world-class solutions for our customers across total plant assets and their operational lifetimes. This organization supports 2,800+ customers worldwide with an installed base of 28,000+ power generation assets, which includes other OEMs, and taps into the Industrial Internet to improve the performance of our solutions over the entire life cycle through the power of software and big data analytics.


[1] The Capacity Market is one of the main building blocks of the U.K. government’s Electricity Market Reform program. Its goal is to ensure adequate capacity within an electricity system. Through a capacity market auction, energy companies are paid to guarantee they can provide electricity over a certain period. Generators who are successful in the auction benefit from steady, predictable revenue stream. http://www.nationalgridconnecting.com/keeping-the-lights-on/