Environment & Energy | Thursday 3 November, 2016 3:08 am |

GE’s Power Services business (NYSE: GE) today launched its new Fleet360* platform to showcase its enhanced total plant capabilities to service both GE and cross-fleet power generation equipment for utility and industrial plant operators worldwide. This launch comes one year after acquiring Alstom’s power generation and services assets.

 

“Fleet360 represents GE’s expanded capabilities as a total solutions provider for all power generation equipment regardless of who was the original manufacturer,” said Paul McElhinney, president and CEO of GE’s Power Services business. “Over the past year, Power Services has worked to fully integrate Alstom’s expertise within GE’s portfolio, allowing us to provide customized solutions for operators that deliver better performance and value for their entire fleets. These service capabilities will prove vital now and in the coming years. While the world will experience fluctuating demands for energy in various regions, over the long term, the demand for power is expected to rise by 50 percent over the next 20 to 25 years, placing a greater priority on utilities to keep their existing generation assets operating at optimal performance levels.”

 

GE’s expanded scope was demonstrated this year with several new orders and multiyear agreements from key partners across the Middle East and Africa. Joe Anis, President & CEO of GE’s Power Services business in the Middle East and Africa, said: “The acquisition of Alstom’s power generation and service capabilities has helped us to further develop our partnerships in the MEA region, where our total plant solutions approach continues to drive the enhanced operational efficiency and productivity of our partners. With a focus on optimizing power assets and accelerating production to meet the increasing demand from both people and industry, our solutions are an ideal fit to the needs of our partners. Now with expanded capacity for serving other OEM equipment, we can bring additional value through our focus on digital industrial transformation of the power sector.”

 

Fleet360 applies to services, upgrades, repairs, parts, multiyear agreements, operations and maintenance—as well as GE’s advanced digital solutions—for assets supplied by GE and other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). With its cross-fleet services solutions, GE services more than 90 brands of gas and steam turbines, generators, boilers, other balance of plant equipment, providing greater value to operators seeking to increase the performance of their existing power generation equipment.

 

The Fleet360 services portfolio was built on the integration of GE and Alstom’s expertise over the past year. Representing the first integration of GE and Alstom Power’s steam turbine technologies, GE introduced its new Enhanced Steam Path (ESP) upgrade solution for D-10 and D-11 steam turbines operating in Europe and other 50-hertz regions, following the ESP introduction in 60 hz countries. ESP was introduced to help utilities and industrial operators boost the efficiency and output of their existing combined-cycle power plants.

Today, the company also achieved a new advanced manufacturing success resulting from GE and Alstom’s combined commitment in “additive manufacturing” technology: the installation of the world’s largest 3-D printed part in its GT13E2 gas turbines at a Vattenfall’s Heizkraftwerk Berlin-Mitte power plant in Germany. The 3-D printed Combustor Zone 1 Segment, which was manufactured at GE’s plant in Birr, Switzerland, weighs 4.5 Kg and is the size of a laptop.

                                              

To support the life cycle needs of its Fleet360 projects, GE now operates a global network of more than 50 repair shops that are strategically located for agile responsiveness and offer customized repairs to shorten operator downtime.

 

The key partnerships signed over the last year include:  

• In the UAE, GE has joined hands with SembCorp Gulf O&M Co. Ltd, the operations and maintenance (O&M) company for Fujairah F1 Independent Water and Power Plant (F1 IWPP) located in Qidfah, to mark the first global GE Asset Performance Management (APM) solution built for the desalination industry at the plant.
• In Saudi Arabia, GE has been awarded a landmark contract valued at nearly US$1 billion for the engineering, construction and provision of gas turbine services for the Waad Al Shamal combined cycle power plant of Saudi Electricity Company (SEC). GE will deliver the turnkey power plant, supplying four advanced GE 7F.05 heavy duty gas turbines and a GE steam turbine, and featuring solar innovation technology.
• In Iraq, GE Power Services has signed its first OEM contract in the country for the Ministry of Electricity for the rehabilitation of a 320 MW turbine by a third-party provider at the Musayab Thermal Power Plant, south of Baghdad, from the Ministry of Electricity. GE’s advanced solutions will help strengthen power generation at the plant by another 200 MW, which will support the country in meeting the growing demand for electricity especially in peak summer.
• In Egypt, GE has signed a contract worth approximately US$250 million with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) to provide the company’s advanced grid solutions technologies to substations located in Mostathmereen, Beni Suef Industrial, Ismailia East and Temay Alemdeed. These four Gas-Insulated Substations (GIS) will help connect 7 gigawatts (GW) of power to the national grid.
• GE has also completed the upgrade of two GE 9FA gas turbine at the Nubaria power plant, located in Beheira, Egypt, and owned by the Middle Delta Electricity Production Company’s (MDEPC). The upgrade includes the installation of GE’s latest combustion solutions for the 9FA gas turbine including Advanced Gas Path (AGP), Advanced Extendors Combustion and Dry Low NOx (DLN) 2.6+. This is the first time in the Middle East and Africa, and the third time globally, for GE to implement this upgrade on the 9FA gas turbine.
• In Pakistan, GE has signed a deal with China Machinery Engineering Corp (CMEC) to supply two 330 megawatt (MW) boilers to Engro Powergen Thar (Private) Limited, CMEC’s joint venture with Pakistani companies for the Thar Block II Power Plant. The project will support Pakistan’s move to use its ample coal reserves in the Thar Desert to meet power generation needs, spur economic development and bring energy security to the country.
• Further, GE will provide advanced digital industrial software solutions to Lalpir Power Ltd. and Pakgen Power Ltd., operators of Nishat Group’s thermal power plants located in Mehmood Kot near Muzaffargarh, in Pakistan.