This news is classified in: Traditional Energy Power Generation
Mar 22, 2019
Continuing its commitment to invest in its mature gas turbine fleets to keep them competitive in today’s dynamic energy marketplace, GE today announced the launch order for its new GT26 HE (high efficiency) gas turbine upgrade with Uniper for the utility’s Enfield Power Station in greater London.
“We’re proud to launch our new GT26 HE upgrade with Uniper—it’s the most advanced solution we’ve ever introduced on a GT26 gas turbine, and one of our most efficient upgrades within the F-class portfolio,” said Scott Strazik, president and CEO of GE’s new Gas Power business. “Not only will this upgrade revitalize Uniper’s Enfield power plant, it will also improve its competitive position in the Great Britain generation market, supporting its long-term profitability and viability.”
The GT26 HE upgrade also marks other GE firsts:
A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on Product, Application, and Country
Download free sample pagesKey performance benefits[1] include:
Higher efficiency for combined-cycle power plants:
Helping Revitalize Uniper’s Enfield Power Station
Uniper’s Enfield power plant in London will be the first site to install the new GT26 HE technology in 2020 with several significant benefits that GE expects to exceed. These benefits will include increased megawatt output, improved plant and gas turbine efficiency, and extended maintenance intervals and operating hours to enable Enfield to consistently elevate its position on the dispatch curve in the highly competitive U.K. power market and ramp up its annual operating hours.
“We’re very pleased to be working with GE on this new technology upgrade,” said Eckhardt Rümmler, chief operating officer, Uniper SE. “In Great Britain’s very competitive and challenging power generation environment, investing to keep our plants competitive by lowering operational and maintenance costs at the same time as increasing efficiency and flexibility is critical for the long-term success of our fleet.”
“The opportunity to test GE’s pioneering GT26 HE upgrade at our Enfield plant, combined with our longstanding relationship with GE and trust in its technology and services were key reasons we chose the company for this project,” added Mike Lockett, chief commercial officer, power, for the Uniper Group and Uniper U.K. country chairman.
H-Class Technology Infusion Drives High-Efficiency Performance
The GT26 HE upgrade provides a leap forward in efficiency, output and maintenance interval extensions. It’s powered partly through advanced technology from GE’s flagship HA gas turbine, the largest and most efficient in the industry, with additive manufactured parts and innovations in aerodynamics, material science and combustion dynamics. It embeds technology breakthroughs across every major component of the GT26 frame—turbine, compressor and combustor—to take turbine performance to a new level, significantly decreasing fuel costs while increasing full-load output and extending maintenance intervals.
The new upgrade also features the best of GE’s research and development centers in both the United States and Switzerland, including unique engineering elements: