GE Helps Energy Producers In Lithuania And Cyprus Meet EU Emissions And Efficiency Goals
Belfort, France - GE's advanced F-class gas turbine technology, proven in more than 30 million hours of operation worldwide, continues to be selected for power plant projects that support the European Union's initiatives for energy infrastructure modernization and emissions reduction.
GE announced today that its 109FB combined-cycle technology will be used for the expansion of a gas-fired, 450-megawatt power plant in Elektrenai, Lithuania, that will help meet the area's growing need for more efficient, reliable and cleaner power. The company also reported that it will supply two Frame 6FA gas turbines to the Greek EPC Contractor J&P-Avax S.A. for the expansion of the Vasilikos Power Station on Cyprus, marking the second time 6FA technology has been selected for this site.
"Despite the challenging economic times, it is critical to move forward with projects to modernize energy infrastructures globally and here in Europe," said Ricardo Cordoba, president of GE Energy for Western Europe and North Africa. "We are pleased that our advanced F technology continues to be selected by customers who are committed to meeting the EU's standards for cleaner, more efficient energy."
A Milestone Project for Lithuania
Today's announcement helps fulfill a commitment Lithuania made in 2003, prior to joining the European Union, to modernize key parts of the country's energy infrastructure. "The Elektrenai project is not only important to Lithuania, but also very important to the Baltic region as a whole as our electricity networks have a history of being connected," said Pranas Noreika, general director of AB Lietuvos Elektrine.
The new Elektrenai plant is expected to enter service in the second half of 2012 and produce enough power to serve approximately 900,000 households in the region. GE will supply a 109FB combined-cycle system to Iberdrola IngenierÃa y Construcción, the EPC contractor for the project. GE has also signed a multi-year service contract with AB Lietuvos Elektrine covering the supply of parts, repairs and field services for maintenance outages of the gas turbine, steam turbine and generator at the new Elektrenai plant.
The Frame 9FB gas turbine is one of the world's most advanced, air-cooled, 50-hertz gas turbines. Because of their high thermal efficiency, these machines produce additional power without an increase in fuel, leading to lower emissions per megawatt of power produced compared to existing machines. The Elektrenai project will mark the second application of GE's 9FB gas turbine technology in the Baltic region. A similar machine was used for the expansion of Riga Thermal Power Plant II, the largest thermal plant in Latvia.
Helping Meet Power Needs on Cyprus
The new GE Frame 6FAs for the Vasilikos project will join two similar machines previously supplied by GE for an earlier expansion at the site. The Frame 6FAs offer increased efficiency compared with earlier technologies utilized in Cyprus power plants. The new gas turbines feature Dry Low NOx systems capable of producing lower emissions while operating with the country's currently available fuels, such as liquid fuel.
Cyprus plans to have a LNG re-gasification facility operating by 2015 in order to make natural gas available in the country. The GE Frame 6FAs offer the flexibility to switch to natural gas, which will further reduce emissions.
"As a member of the European Union, we are committed to reducing emissions," said Dr. Stelios Stylianou, generation development manager of EAC. "Using cleaner fuels and the latest, most efficient technology are key parts of our strategy to upgrade and improve the environmental performance of our energy infrastructure."
The F-class machines for both projects are manufactured in Belfort, France. The Belfort facility plays an important role in GE's global power generation business. Belfort is GE Energy's European headquarters with more than 2,000 employees. It is GE's international center of excellence for manufacturing heavy-duty gas turbines, which includes a new Technology Center, which helps customers address environmental and energy challenges.
SOURCE: GE