General Electric (GE), one of the world's leading engineering and tech giants, announced Monday that it has completed the upgrade of two GE 9FA gas turbines at the Nubaria power plant in Egypt, the first of its kind upgrade in the Middle East and Africa region, and the third time globally. The initiative will help improve the power plant's efficiency and reduce operational costs as it will enhance the plant's output by 6.7 percent and decrease its fuel consumption by 3 percent. The Nubaria power plant, located in Beheira (Egypt), is owned by the Middle Delta Electricity Production Company's (MDEPC). The upgrade includes the installation of GE's latest combustion solutions for the 9FA gas turbine including Advanced Gas Path (AGP), Advanced Extendors Combustion and Dry Low NOx (DLN) 2.6+. Mohamed El Abd, Chairman of MDEPC, said: "Installing GE's advanced technologies will help us enhance the operational efficiency and reduce fuel consumption of our existing power plants. This upgrade will also help increase the output of the Nubaria power plant to be able to meet peak demand as we approach the summer." The Nubaria power plant is a combined cycle plant that is powered by two GE 9FA gas turbines and a 3-casing reaction technology steam turbine from Alstom that generates a total of 750 megawatts. It is worth nothing that GE acquired Alstom Power and these capabilities in November 2015. By implementing this upgrade, the efficiency and availability of the combined cycle has been improved. Amir Hafzalla, Managing Director, Power Services, GE Power for East Med, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, added: "We are proud to be partnering with the Middle Delta Electricity Production Company to bring the first of its kind upgrade in the region to the Nubaria power plant. We are keen to continue working together to further support the Government's goals for the energy sector by implementing unique and innovative solutions to help meet Egypt's growing electricity needs." This upgrade is also expected to improve the GE 9FA's availability by 3.7 percent, allowing the unit to operate continuously for four years without any shutdowns. Additionally, the lifecycle of the newly installed parts has doubled from six years previously to 12 years. GE has been a partner to Egypt for more than 40 years; today more than 140 GE gas and steam turbines are installed in the country, generating more than 15.5 gigawatts of power, enough to meet the electricity needs of more than 15 million Egyptian homes. Source: The Peninsula
