Promoting aeroderivative-based distributed generation in China
GE and China Huadian Corporation have formed a joint venture to develop distributed energy combined heat and power (DECHP) projects that will provide electricity for consumers in China located close to the plants. The $100 million joint venture company will be called Huadian GE Aero Gas Turbine Equipment Co., Ltd, with China Huadian owning the majority share.
GE’s aeroderivative power generation units range from 18-100 megawatts. DECHP technologies produce both electricity and useful thermal energy from a single fuel at a facility located near the consumers. These efficient systems recover heat that normally would be wasted in the power generation process—saving fuel that would otherwise be used to produce additional heat or steam in a separate unit. China requires at least 1,000 such "off-grid" installations.
Dozens of American suppliers from locations including Cincinnati and Cleveland, Ohio, Fort Collins, Colo., Portland, Ore., and Houston and Lufkin, Texas, will support the projects in China.
On November 9, 2010, GE announced plans to invest more than $2 billion in China including plans to commit $500 million to enhance China R&D capabilities and establish new Customer Innovation Centers to better serve west, north, central and south China.
In January, GE announced that it had signed a contract with Jiangsu Tianue Energy & Chemical Group Co. Ltd, which is building a high-efficiency gas turbine power plant to utilize industrial dismissed gas into power and steam to meet increasing energy needs in the region. The power plant will be equipped with three aeroderivative gas turbines, which are the first LM2500+G4 units sold in China. GE’s aeroderivative gas turbines will use coke oven gas as fuel and turn it into electricity for the region.
