GE to provide power in Iraq

GE is signing a power up plan with the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity (MoE) for critical electricity generation and maintenance projects throughout the country. The power up plan comprises a set of technological solutions and upgrade projects to ensure essential incremental power, adding 700 megawatts to the national grid in time for the summer period.

The value of the contracts signed totals more than US$1 billion, with financing already in place for the initial stage of the projects equaling US$328 million.

Azeez Mohammed, president and CEO, GE’s Power Services business, Middle East and Africa, said, “With the introduction of our Advanced Gas Path (AGP) solution and related works for the heavy-duty gas turbines at the power plants, we can significantly scale up capacity while also minimizing operational downtime. GE’s turnkey approach to the upgrades will help meet the peak summer demand for electricity and enable the MoE’s power plants to sustain higher levels of productivity and operational efficiency in the future.”

GE has commenced the shipment of parts and began the on-site execution of these projects at the MoE plants in Iraq. The technology upgrades include, among others, heavy fuel oil (HFO) conversions that will help scale up productivity in addition to installing advanced hot gas path components at the various gas turbines.

AGP technology advancements feature hardware design and materials improvements to the components of GE’s gas turbine hot gas path system. These innovations are coupled with GE’s advanced controls software to expand gas turbine performance and enable the power plants to operate more dynamically. The ministry will supply the heavy fuel oil to the sites where the HFO technology is being installed due to the scarcity of natural gas resources and to leverage the capacity of the new units during the upcoming summer season.