Illustration of Hinkley Point C (HPC) power station Source: EDF Energy Illustration of Hinkley Point C (HPC) power station Source: EDF Energy Close

HPC is UK’s first nuclear power station built in more than twenty years, located in Bridgwater, Somerset. With an increase in power plants retirement by 2030, the need for additional energy supply to secure the UK grid was critical. Once in operation, HPC is expected to deliver more than 3.2 GW to the grid, enough to cover 6 million homes, and avoid 9 million tons of CO2 emissions each year.

The steam turbine rotor is a key component to any powerplant as it allows to transfer the turbine rotating movement to the generator, enabling the electrical output. The start of the first line rotor manufacturing at GE’s Belfort, France center of excellence represents a key milestone in the execution of the HPC project, enabling the manufacturing process of further turbine components.

GE will supply the two conventional power islands for HPC, which include the ARABELLE™ steam turbine, generator, and other critical equipment. The ARABELLE steam turbine wasted no time in setting a record at HPC. Already the largest steam turbine in operation for the past 10 years, the ARABELLE produces 2% more power output than a traditional configuration and has a 99.96% reliability rate. HPC’s ARABELLE™ turbines will be the largest ever built-longer than an Airbus 380 -and capable of producing 1,770 MW each.

Source: GE Source: GE Close

"We’re continuing to invest in new technologies to keep our installed base competitive: the new MXL2 with AMP upgrade could not be manufactured with conventional methods and marks the first-of-its kind solution with the injection of components manufactured by additive technologies," said Scott Strazik, president and CEO of GE’s Power Services business. "Because these components are made with a lightweight configuration and can be engineered to include advanced cooling channels, they help the gas turbine run more efficiently, representing a new frontier in turbine engineering and production. These savings translate directly into increased performance and provide turbine operators with greater fuel efficiency and more capacity. We’re excited to bring this technology to our GT13E2 fleet, which we acquired from Alstom in 2015."

The new MXL2 with AMP include two components produced by GE’s Additive Manufacturing Works (AMW) teams in Birr, Switzerland, and Greenville, South Carolina, United States: the first-stage turbine vanes and heat shields. These parts are among the turbine’s hottest-running components, and the significant amount of cooling air they traditionally require impacts the engine’s performance. Additive printing allows GE to use advanced cooling designs that considerably reduce the amount of cooling air the parts need, improving the turbine’s performance and offering operators potentially millions of dollars in benefits per year.

The breakthrough technology can significantly elevate the output and efficiency of existing GT13E2 gas turbines. It’s capable of:

-- Reducing component cooling requirements by up to 25 percent.

-- Increasing output up to 21 megawatts (MW) in combined-cycle configuration.

-- Achieving efficiency improvement of up to 1.6 percent in combined-cycle configuration.

-- Delivering maintenance intervals of up to 48,000 hours. Latest Game Changer in Additive Technology at Vattenfall’s Heizkraftwerk Berlin-Mitte Power Plant

The MXL2 with AMP upgrade is a direct result of GE’s long-term commitment to additive manufacturing technology. Vattenfall began supporting this technology in 2015 with the installation of four different 3D printed components at its Heizkraftwerk Berlin-Mitte Power Plant near Germany’s capital city of Berlin.

"We have a long-standing relationship with GE," said Dietmar Kodim, Gas Turbine Asset Management Leader at Vattenfall Wärme Berlin AG. "For over 20 years, we have been reliant on GE/Alstom technology, and we’re proud to work together with GE to install the world’s first GT13E2 upgrade manufactured with additive technology. The solution will help us improve the efficiency of heat and electricity production in Berlin."

The AMP upgrade is a major contributor in achieving the Vattenfall Wärme Berlin AG’s strategic business objectives in energy management. The upgrade will enable Vattenfall’s Heizkraftwerk Berlin-Mitte to increase electrical power by approximately 21 MW and thermal heat generation by about 4 MW. The efficiency of the GT13E2 gas turbines will be improved by approximately 2.5 percent. In addition, the power plant will extend its major inspection interval by approximately two years.

Source: GE Source: GE Close

Leslie Nelson, CEO, GE’s Gas Power business, Sub-Saharan Africa said, "This milestone is a testimony of our commitment to providing power solutions to meet the growing energy needs in many countries in the region ahead of other OEMs. Our regional operations are led by an expert African team. Our flexible and modular energy solutions respond to the ever-changing needs of the communities where we work and live. Our ability to partner with independent power producers, EPCs, strategic investors and governments to deliver these power projects strengthens the trust and confidence that our customers place in us".

Ghana

Over 70% of the thermal power in Ghana runs on GE technology with over 600MW added to the grid in the last 24 months, with an additional 900MW planned over the next 2 years. Leading examples include the 400MW Bridgepower project - in consortium with indigenous partners, Endeavour and Sage Petroleum - which will be the first LPG-fired power plant in Africa and the largest LPG fired power plant in the world. In partnership with Marinus Energy, the Atuabo Waste Gas to power project will be the first TM2500 plant to use otherwise flared Isopentane gas as a fuel source. The 200MW Amandi power plant which will come online in 2019, will run on GE’s latest 9E technology offering superior fuel flexibility.

Nigeria

In Nigeria today, GE technology provides over 75% of the gas-powered on-grid generation, with more than 3GW of heavy duty and fuel-flexible gas turbines at nine power plants including the Omotosho I & II power plants as well as GE’s innovative trailer-mounted gas turbines currently being installed at the Afam III Fast Power plant. GE is committed to Nigeria’s Vision 2020; signing a Country to Company agreement with the Nigerian government to support development of up to 10GW of power.

Angola

GE and the Angola Ministry of Energy and Water are set to achieve the country’s additional electric power generation capacity target of 2000MW. Today, about 80% of Angola’s gas-powered generation runs on GE technology providing energy for up to 2 million Angolan households. With over 20 trailer mounted gas turbines installed at fast power plants and the 750MW Soyo I combined cycle power plant under construction, Angola is well on its way to achieving its energy ambitions.

Ivory Coast

GE is a historical player and a pioneer in the power sector in Ivory Coast. The first-ever gas turbines (Vridi, 1984), the first independent power production project (Ciprel, 1994) and the first combined-cycle power plants in the country (Azito and Ciprel, 2015) all run mainly on GE technology. In 2015, GE committed to support the country’s infrastructure development goals, which includes adding 1GW of power to the Ivorian national grid. The Azito Power plant produces more than a third of the electricity in the country and marks GE’s Power Services’ first GT13E2 MXL2 gas turbine upgrade in SSA. This upgrade will add an additional 30MW to the plant’s 450MW production capacity. In addition, GE is setting up an M&D (Monitoring and Diagnostic) center in Ivory Coast to provide the digital data and analytics service to improve performance and lower lifecycle costs of all GE equipment in the region.

Kenya

Kenya needs a diverse energy mix to support its growth initiatives. The 1050MW Lamu power project will use GE’s ultra-super critical technology to deliver superior efficiency and lowest emissions. The project will guarantee that up to 30% of electricity produced in Kenya is reliable baseload power.

South Africa

In South Africa, GE is deploying smarter, cleaner, steam technology at the Medupi and Kusile Power plants. Kusile is the first wet flue gas desulphurization plant in the continent and has 93% removal efficiency rate. Upon completion, Kusile and Medupi will provide up to 9600MW - enough power to meet the electricity needs of about 7 million households in South Africa.

"As a company, we believe that one of the key drivers of development in Africa is power. Lowering the tariffs, figuring out how we can make the most of the grid, optimizing the energy value chain - this is what we think about as a business and work towards improving everyday" said Lee Dawes, General Manager, GE Steam Power in Sub-Saharan Africa.

GE’s first turbine installation in Sub-Saharan Africa can be traced as far back as the early 1970s with its Frame 5 gas turbine technology. Since then, GE Power has been at the forefront of innovation in power technology with the most recent fuel-flexible and highly efficient 9EMax gas turbines, superior ultra-super-critical steam technology as well as a broad range of hydro and wind turbines and generators. GE has power plant installations in up to 22 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and this number is set to grow even further.

GE reinforces its commitment to investment in the region through skills development initiatives to broaden and nurture its talent pool within the countries it operates. In South Africa, $2.4M worth of student bursaries have been awarded in partnership with Eskom. In Ghana, $3.5M was donated to support the Engineering Program at Ashesi University. Over 120 employees are on GE Leadership development programs today. Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives are also carried out through a wide range of projects in the areas of health, education, environment and community-building to improve lives in the countries where we work and live.

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