GE Vernova Power Conversion to Supply Electric Propulsion Systems for Singapore Navy Ships

Singapore shipbuilder, ST Engineering Marine Ltd., granted a supply contract to GE Vernova Power Conversion for its Ship’s Electric Grid with Integrated Full-Electric Propulsion (IFEP) system. As part of the Singapore Navy’s Multi-Role Combat Vessel (MRCV) program, this equipment will be installed on six MRCVs to replace a fleet of mechanical drive Victory-class missile corvettes.

“Power Conversion is pleased to equip the Republic of Singapore Navy’s (RSN) new MRCVs with electric power. Like so many other navies around the world, the RSN is adopting an electric ship configuration as an enabler for increased levels of power and energy efficiency,” said Andy Cooper, General Manager at GE Vernova’s Power Conversion U.K. business. “Being equipped with an electric grid allows a ship the ability to share every bit of available power throughout the vessel, strengthening its energy surety and even helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

GE Vernova Power Conversion will supply generators, medium-voltage switchboards, transformers, propulsion variable frequency drives, electric propulsion motors, thruster motors, soft starters, a shore power connection, a power management system, and a propulsion control system. The electric propulsion systems will be delivered over the next 10 years.

The Ship’s Electric Grid generates the electricity needed for the vessel’s propulsion and powers the operational and mission systems, including radar and communications. The system can distribute electric power to other loads on the ship’s network, enabling higher energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness compared to traditional mechanical drive configurations. Singapore’s MRCVs have a modular platform design that allows for a range of naval missions requiring electric power. The combat vessels can host unmanned air and surface vehicles to expand the area of each MRCV’s surveillance capability.

Multi-Role Combat Vessel; Image Credits: Republic of Singapore Navy

The Power Conversion division is responsible for the design, system engineering, manufacturing, and testing of the equipment at its U.K. Center of Excellence. Project execution will be supported by the Power Conversion Asia team in Singapore, overseeing project engineering, project management, commissioning, and sea trials. This division of GE Vernova also powers the majority of the U.K. Royal Navy’s large vessel fleet, such as the Queen Elizabeth Class, Type 45, and Type 26 vessels, in addition to other global naval programs.

The company outfitted a Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, with Power Conversion’s propulsion and control systems in early 2020. It provided the high-voltage (HV) distribution system, HV drives, propulsion motors, and an electrical power control and management system, comprising 80 MW of the 110 MW of power running through the carrier’s systems.

In other news, GE Vernova and Technip Energies entered the execution phase, i.e., consortium and technology selection, for bp’s Net-Zero Teesside (NZT) Power Project in the United Kingdom. bp sent a letter of intent on behalf of NZT Power Ltd. to the consortium, comprised of Technip Energies, GE Vernova, and construction partner Balfour Beatty, among others. The project—slated to be one of the first commercial-scale gas-fired power stations with carbon capture, capturing up to 2 million tons of CO₂ per year—will provide flexible and dispatchable low-carbon electricity.

Our team also recorded a TurboTime podcast featuring part of an interview with Dr. Jeffrey Goldmeer, the Global Hydrogen Value Chain Leader at GE Vernova, recorded at POWERGEN 2024. Dr. Goldmeer discusses the many pathways to decarbonization, including next-generation combustors that support hydrogen and ammonia.