With GE's Engine Exchange Program, GRUPO LOSAN Boosts the Reliability and Efficiency of Its COMETA Power Plant in Spain

GE’s Power Services business announced the completion of an aeroderivative gas turbine exchange at COMETA’s Talosa plant in Soria, Spain. COMETA, owned by Grupo LOSAN, is a major European producer of wood-based panels and faced the need to modernize its natural gas-fired plant to keep its industrial processes competitive globally.

“At our Talosa facility, we power our industrial process and sell the extra electricity produced by the turbine. Also, the exhaust gas is used to supply heat to the wood and chipboard factory and to a heat recovery steam generator that produces steam - delivering an additional 3,000 kilowatt-hours,” said José Luis Lázaro, deputy general manager, Losán Group, COMETA. “We needed an upgrade that provided us with more flexibility to balance the intermittent nature of the power grid. GE’s engine exchange with a new turbine was the best and most cost-effective solution for greater flexibility, reliability and performance to support our many industrial processes. Furthermore, the financing and leasing options included in GE’s exchange program met our requirements without impacting our own financing capacity.”

For the project, COMETA decided on a new GE LM2500 Base SAC aeroderivative gas turbine rather than a second overhaul of its existing engine, which had already reached 100,000 running hours. GE’s solution of a new engine rather than an overhaul for a third life cycle reduces the shutdown period and offsets the cost of a replacement engine. The new engine will result in an output increase of at least 2 percent, a heat rate improvement of at least 3 percent and increased electrical efficiency by at least 1 percent. The deal includes a multiyear service agreement through the end of 2023.

“This project marks our continuous commitment in supporting customers with holistic service solutions, whether it be maintenance, repair, overhaul or engine exchange,” said Martin O’Neill, general manager of Aeroderivative Gas Turbines and Gas Turbine Cross-Fleet solutions for GE’s Power Services business. “GE’s engine exchange program is vital for companies like Grupo LOSAN with aging fleets that have the need to increase efficiency and output. This program is crucial—especially in Europe where flexible power and reliability are needed to ensure continuous industrial operations and balance the intermittency of the grid.”

GE’s aeroderivative engine exchange program is specifically made for customers that seek to reduce overall life cycle costs and provide a lower-cost method for maintaining unit availability. Customers can improve site availability by leasing equipment from GE when their own equipment is at a depot for repair or when their equipment is being repaired on-site.

GE can exchange existing engines with a new engine, a refurbished engine or a partial-life engine on-site, which would require only a two-to-three-day outage. As the original equipment manufacturer, GE not only has the largest engine exchange pool available, but also has a steady supply of new engines that provide the latest and greatest technology improvements. Additionally, GE can offer fully refurbished engines as a lower-cost alternative.