GE and Uniper Unveil ‘GT26 HE’ Solution, The World’s First High-Efficiency Upgrade For The Gt26 Gas Turbine Fleet

BY Diane Marini

GE and Uniper Unveil ‘GT26 HE’ Solution, The World’s First High-Efficiency Upgrade For The Gt26 Gas Turbine Fleet – Mar 22, 2019 – Baden, Switzerland (Techreleased) – Continuing its commitment to invest in its mature gas turbine fleets to keep them competitive in today’s dynamic energy marketplace, GE (NYSE: 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.

The GT26 HE upgrade also marks other GE firsts:

• First upgrade that takes the best technologies and capabilities from GE’s industry-leading F and H class fleets to create a robust solution for GT26 power plant operators.
• First upgrade that blends both GE and Alstom’s technology and expertise across all major components of a gas turbine solution.

Key performance benefits[1] include:

• Higher efficiency for combined-cycle power plants:
  • 2+ percent base load increased efficiency, translating to as much as $4 million in fuel savings annually per unit.
  • Up to 1 percent increased efficiency in part load, yielding up to $1 million in fuel savings a year per unit.
• Increased plant output from 15 megawatts (MW) up to 55 MWs per unit, improving revenue opportunities.
• Extended inspection intervals up to 32,000 hours, reducing long-term maintenance costs.

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.

“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.