“With work already underway, it was crucial that GE complete the turbine modernization to restore the availability of our plant, which produces the equivalent of electricity consumed in average by 3 million homes,” said Alessandro Gaglione, Tirreno Power Head of Power Generation. “Relying on outstanding technical skills of the staff involved in this critical operation, we decided to confirm the work plan in order to make our plant promptly available for the national grid to help secure the energy supply in Italy in the emergency period.”
The modernization consisted of the installation of a new rotor and compressor to increase the robustness and durability of the turbine. The engineering enhancements reduce the impact of degradation naturally occurs with time on the rotor components, improving their operating lifespan and reducing the risk of unplanned downtime.
Extra layer of safety measures
In the face of the pandemic, engineers from GE its field service team FieldCore worked closes with Tirreno Power experts to implement more frequent disinfections at the site, physical distancing rules and the use of personal protective equipment.
“The 9F.03 gas turbine upgrade was critical to increase the current performance and reliability of Tirreno Power’s plant,” said Steven Miller, Service Leader for Europe at GE Gas Power. “During these unprecedented times when access to reliable electricity is more important than ever, we are committed to providing our customers with the exceptional support and services they have come to rely on while leading with safety.
“Despite the daily challenges caused by the pandemic and longer-than-expected isolation from family and loved ones, our 30-strong team worked day and night to complete the outage, safely,” he underlined.
Throughout Italy, GE-built technologies generate over one-third of the electricity supply.