GE Power (NYSE: GE) hosted ‘Qatar Power Technology Day’ in Doha, highlighting innovations that can help unlock further productivity, flexibility and operational efficiency for the country’s energy ecosystem in line with Qatar’s National Vison 2030. The event was hosted in collaboration with the United States Embassy in Qatar and was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Energy and Industry, the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (KAHRAMAA), Qatar Electricity and Water Company (QEWC), and other energy sector stakeholders.
Underlining GE Power’s commitment to supporting Qatar’s power sector, the event featured in-depth discussions on trends and technologies driving the transformation of the energy ecosystem; advanced power generation technology offering greater operational flexibility and unprecedented levels of efficiency; battery storage solutions that can support the growth of renewable energy; and upgrade solutions that can help to enhance the efficiency of the existing installed base of power generation assets.
Ghassan Barghout, President & CEO of GE’s Gas Power Systems Sales, in the Middle East and North Africa said, “The efficient use of resources to best serve current and future generations is an important objective of the Qatar National Vision 2030. GE’s advanced portfolio of power generation solutions, strong execution capabilities and 40 years of contributions to the development of Qatar’s energy ecosystem uniquely position us to deliver unprecedented levels of efficiency and operational flexibility to help meet this objective to the benefit of communities, businesses and industries across Qatar.”
The breakthrough technologies showcased at the event included GE’s HA technology – the world’s most efficient heavy-duty gas turbine. The technology has now helped to deliver two world records – one for achieving 63.08 percent gross efficiency at Chubu Electric Nishi-Nagoya Power Plant Block-1 in Japan and another for helping EDF’s Bouchain Power Plant achieve 62.22 percent net combined cycle efficiency in France. It has thus been recognized for record-setting efficiency in both 60 hertz and 50 hertz markets. Today, the HA has achieved more than 170,000 operating hours and is the fastest growing fleet of gas turbines in the world with over 80 units ordered by more than 25 customers across more than 15 countries, including the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Pakistan, Japan, Bahrain, China, France and others.
Among its many benefits, the HA can also ramp up or down quickly, while still meeting emissions requirements to help balance grid instability. It thus offers an excellent flexible complement to intermittent renewable sources as Qatar looks to increase the proportion of alternative power in the energy mix.
Another highlight at the event was the MXL2 with Additive Manufactured Performance (AMP) — the world’s first upgrade solution for GE’s GT13E2 gas turbines that uses key components manufactured using additive technology and can help boost output and efficiency. The addition of additive manufactured parts into the MXL2 solution represents a turning point in the global power generation industry. The new technology can help gas plant power producers save up to $2 million in fuel annually, while opening up the potential for additional revenue of up to $3 million annually in new power capacity. The technology is particularly relevant for Qatar, which has a significant installed base of GT13E2 units.
GE’s journey in Qatar began over 40 years ago and its investments in the country include the GE Advanced Technology and Research Center (GEATRC) at the Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP). Today, GE turbines support the generation of up to half of the country’s electricity. Recently, in April 2018, KAHRAMAA and GE Power signed Principles of Cooperation (POC) for a ‘Power Efficiency and Fuel Savings Campaign’. GE also supports the power supply of Qatar’s future smart city, the Lusail City mega-development that will be the host venue of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Leave A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.