GE’s Distributed Power Helping Romania Modernize District Heating Networks

Supporting Romania’s goals to modernize its aging district heating networks to reduce air pollution and comply with the country’s environmental obligations for joining the European Union, GE’s Distributed Power business (NYSE: GE) is supplying European energy developer STC SpA with an ecomagination qualified LM6000-PF SPRINT* gas turbine generator as part of the modernization of the city of Oradea‘s district heating plant in northwestern Romania.

Romania and other Central European countries are increasingly looking to modernize their older, less-efficient district heating systems to reduce emissions related to energy production. A number of Romania’s older districts heating plants were fueled by coal and oil, but newer systems utilize cleaner-burning natural gas. The 250-megawatt (MW) Oradea Thermal Power Plant has operated since 1966, using natural gas, oil and lignite for fuel. By installing GE’s natural gas-powered 45.5-MW LM6000-PF SPRINT unit as part of a broader plant overhaul, the power plant will achieve 92 percent efficiency and reduce emissions as a reliable district heating system for the city’s 141,000 inhabitants.

“The Oradea power plant project is the latest in a long series of high-efficiency cogeneration power plants that GE and STC have collaborated on over the last 13 years in all different industries from paper mills to food and beverage to chemical industries,” said Pietro Marco Stella, president of STC SpA. “We successfully continue to work with GE based on its proven record of providing flexible, environmental friendly and highly efficient technology that best meets our customers’ needs.”

In addition to its environmental benefits, GE’s LM6000-PF SPRINT unit offers greater operational flexibility as the fast-start system can be taken to full power within 10 minutes and high efficiency at even partial loads, providing users with demonstrated affordable energy production cost. A 15-year long-term services contract will be signed soon with the end user to enhance the plant’s availability and operational costs. The LM6000-PF SPRINT unit is scheduled to be delivered in 2015 and will begin commercial operation by end of 2015.

The project is important to the region because it by increases the efficiency and reduces losses in the district heating supply network. The current losses in the district heating transport networks—due to the age of the pipes—are approximately 26 percent, which is much higher than the normal 7 percent rate. In addition, Oradea does not currently have a monitoring and control system to regularly evaluate network losses and changes.

“Our LM6000 aeroderivative gas turbine is proven and reliable technology for new cogeneration facilities in Europe,” said Lorraine Bolsinger, president & CEO of GE’s distributed power business. “More than 1,100 LM6000 units have been installed globally—equating to more than 30 million combined hours of operating experience—and we’re proud to have worked so closely with STC for more than a decade to modernize Romania’s power generation technology with our high-efficiency solutions.”

While the Oradea project is the first aeroderivative gas turbine project for GE in Romania, GE’s Distributed Power business has participated in a series of other projects to help the country address its local energy security and efficiency requirements, including:

·         Supplying six of GE’s Type 6 Jenbacher gas engines to developer S.C. VEST-ENERGO S.A. for a 20-MW cogeneration plant to help upgrade district heating facilities in Bucharest.

·         In 2012, GE, the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company and energy developer ContourGlobal opened a new gas engine cogeneration plant at Coca-Cola Hellenic’s Ploiesti bottling facility near Bucharest in Romania. The Ploiesti plant represented the first of a group of 15 combined heat and power plants that were installed at Coca-Cola Hellenic’s facilities in 12 European countries.

Also in October 2014, GE announced the launch of a suite of performance-enhancing data-driven solutions from GE Predictivity* that harness the power of the Industrial Internet to boost performance of aeroderivative gas turbines. The announcement was made during GE’s Minds + Machines event in New York City. The data-driven solutions are designed to optimize performance, improve uptime and efficiency and reduce life-cycle costs for GE’s LM6000 aeroderivative gas turbines, further enhancing the value of the unit being installed at the Orodea power plant.

About GE’s Distributed Power Business

GE Power & Water’s Distributed Power business is a leading provider of power equipment, engines and services focused on power generation at or near the point of use. Distributed Power’s product portfolio includes highly efficient industrial reciprocating engines and aeroderivative gas turbines that generate 100 kW to 100 MW of power for numerous industries globally. In addition, Distributed Power offers life cycle services and support for more than 37,000 distributed power products worldwide to help customers meet their business challenges—anywhere and anytime.

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Distributed Power employs about 5,000 people around the world.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) imagines things others don’t, builds things others can’t and delivers outcomes that make the world work better. GE brings together the physical and digital worlds in ways no other company can. In its labs and factories and on the ground with customers, GE is inventing the next industrial era to move, power, build and cure the world. www.ge.com

About GE Power & Water

GE Power & Water provides customers with a broad array of power generation, energy delivery and water process technologies to solve their challenges locally. Power & Water works in all areas of the energy industry including renewable resources such as wind and solar, biogas and alternative fuels; and coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy. The business also develops advanced technologies to help solve the world’s most complex challenges related to water availability and quality. Power & Water’s six business units include Distributed Power, Nuclear Energy, Power Generation Products, Power Generation Services, Renewable Energy and Water & Process Technologies. Headquartered in Schenectady, N.Y., Power & Water is GE’s largest industrial business.

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* Trademark of General Electric Company.

Source: GE Newsroom, February 17th