GE Vernova’s FEED Studies Reduce Carbon Capture Total, Operational Costs at Saudi Plants

GE Vernova and the Ash Sharqiyah Operations & Maintenance Co. (ASHOMCo) completed front-end engineering design (FEED) studies at three cogeneration plants in Saudi Arabia, examining solutions to lower net carbon emissions. The company conducted a hydrogen-readiness assessment and an evaluation to improve performance and lower costs for the installation of carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration systems.

“Our participation in the GE Vernova-led studies underscores our dedication to accelerating solutions for potentially retrofitting the existing power plants to meet stringent carbon emission standards, a step towards producing more sustainable energy,” said Rob Hayes, Executive Manager, ASHOMCo. “GE Vernova led the full-scale integration of the study with the ultimate goal of lowering the net carbon emissions of the three power plants.”

The plants are equipped with GE Vernova’s 7E and 7F gas turbines delivering up to 920 MW of combined power and 1,400 tons/hr of steam. This capacity is equivalent to the average electricity required for 920,000 Saudi homes.

FEED Studies: Hydrogen

The 7E and 7F gas turbines, with modifications to their standard combustors, can already operate with hydrogen blends up to 100%. These FEED studies explored operations using blends of natural gas and hydrogen—specifically, the plants used hydrogen for up to 32% by volume. In addition, the studies established the required combustor system modifications to achieve this level of hydrogen blending.

FEED Studies: Carbon Capture

GE Vernova also retrofitted the Saudi plants with carbon-capture technology capable of capturing up to 95% of CO₂ emissions. In conclusion, the study showed that integrating the company’s exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system could reduce more than 7% of the carbon-capture facility’s total cost when compared to a facility without EGR. Also, it showed a 6% reduction in carbon-capture operational costs annually.

“The first of this kind carbon-capture assessment accomplished in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by GE Vernova proposes enhancements aiming to improve the proposed carbon-capture process and reduce its impact on the power plants’ output, performance, and equipment costs,” said Joseph Anis, President & CEO of GE Vernova's Gas Power business in Europe, Middle East & Africa. “We remain committed to supporting the advancement of the region’s energy goals, working alongside players such as ASHOMCo, and we hope that this collaboration will pave the way to adopt more sustainable combustion fuels, such as hydrogen, and carbon capture technologies to support ASHOMCo’s decarbonization efforts.”

GE Vernova’s EGR Work

In mid-October, GE Vernova’s FEED study, Retrofittable Advanced Combined-Cycle Integration for Flexible Decarbonized Generation, found the effects of adding a carbon-capture system to a natural gas combined-cycle power plant could be reduced through a series of integration measures, including an EGR system. The study findings—which was led by GE Vernova and completed in collaboration with Southern Company, Linde, BASF, and Kiewit—were released by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management.

The study evaluated retrofitting the James M. Barry Electric Generating Plant in Bucks, Alabama, with carbon-capture technology. Integrating GE Vernova’s EGR system could reduce more than 6% of the total cost of the carbon-capture facility compared to carbon capture without the EGR system.