OREANDA-NEWS. GE (NYSE: GE) announced that it has completed the upgrade of the Banha power plant, located at the Qalyubia Governorate, and owned by the Middle Delta Electricity Production Company’s (MDEPC). The upgrade, which includes the first-ever Evaporative Cooler retrofit for the 9FA Gas Turbines in Egypt as a turnkey project, will boost efficiency and increase the plant’s output up to 7% by the summer of 2016 showcasing GE’s commitment to maximizing the efficiency to existing fleet to support power production in Egypt and increase the customer’s revenues.

By installing the Evaporative Cooler to the two 9FA gas turbines at the Banha Power Plant, the turbines will now be able to perform better during the months of the summer when temperatures are higher thus increasing production, improving efficiency and reliability. The upgrade for the two units was executed in just one month, highlighting GE’s commitment to help the Ministry of Electricity complete the maintenance and upgrade of existing power plants before the summer. 

Amir Hafzalla, Managing Director, Power Services, GE Power for East Med, Iraq and Pakistan,-added:  “At GE, we provide advanced gas-fired technologies and agile digital infrastructure to help meet Egypt’s growing energy needs. We are proud to bring these reliable, affordable, and efficient solutions to the Banha plant and we will continue working with the Ministry of Electricity to support Egypt’s energy sector.”

The Banha power plant is a combined cycle plant that started commercial operation in January 2014 and is powered with two GE 9FA heavy duty gas and one steam turbine, generating 750 MW of power, enough to power more than 700,000 homes. Additionally, in 2015, GE signed a five year Contractual Service Agreement (CSA) for the Banha power plant with MDEPC.

With more than 130 advanced gas turbines installed in country, GE today help generate more than 11.68 gigawatts of electricity; enough to power more than 11 million homes nationwide.