GE to upgrade gas turbines at two thermal plants in Japan

US-based General Electric (GE) has secured orders to upgrade gas turbines for two thermal power generating facilities in Japan. The first order is from Japanese utility Chubu Electric Power for upgrading eight existing GE gas turbines at its 2,380MW Joetsu thermal power station. The second, from Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), is for the replacement and upgrade of eight gas turbines at Yokohama thermal station.

Under the Joetsu combined-cycle power plant contract, GE's Power Generation Services business will be responsible for upgrading the 7F gas turbines at the facility, with three GE Power FlexEfficiency upgrade offerings. It will include a Dry Low NOx 2.6 (DLN2.6) combustor, an OpFlex gas turbine controls technology package, and its advanced gas path (AGP) solution.

The facility, which primarily uses liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel, is expected to benefit from the programme and be enabled to control overall fuel and lifecycle maintenance costs. The upgrade initiative is also likely to bring down the annual fuel costs of the plant by around $8m.

According to the terms of the contract, the US-based firm will help Yokohama thermal power station improve its performance and lower lifecycle costs. The eight gas turbines to be replaced and upgraded range from 9FA.01 to 9FA.03 models.

GE will reduce the operational costs for the power plant by shortening the time needed for service outages. Replacement of the gas turbines, combustion systems and control systems is intended to increase output by 7% per unit by for the facility, with an overall 1% increase in power plant efficiency.

Chubu Electric Power thermal power department power generation division general manager Akira Kuriyama said: "GE's AGP solution gives us the ability to improve thermal efficiency by 0.7% and reduce the fuel costs and CO2 emissions. The AGP solution contributes to improved durability of the equipment itself and extends maintenance intervals from three years to four years."