Unit 4 of Tepco’s LNG-fuelled Futtsu power station will be retrofitted with GE’s Asset Performance Management (APM) system under an accord, signed by the two companies, to roll-out APM software throughout the Tepco’s thermal power plant fleet.
Seeking to improve reliability through improved plant economics, Toshihiro Sano, president of Tepco Fuel & Power pointed out the need to “invest in the latest digital solutions that can help us increase the productivity, efficiency and reliability of our existing power plants.”
The APM installation at Tepco’s 1,520-MW Futtsu site marks the start of a digital transformation of the utility’s fleet of thermal power plants.
Located in Chiba prefecture, 30 kilometers east of Tokyo, Futtsu is Tepco’s third largest gas-fuelled power plant and one of Japan’s most efficient power stations. GE is scheduled to begin installing the APM solution at the station in 2017.
GE claimed the solution would increase the plants long-term reliability, flexibility and help reduce life cycle costs as Tepco will benefit from enhanced equipment condition monitoring and diagnostics capabilities. APM and other Predix-based applications connect industrial assets, collecting and analysing data to deliver real-time insights to help improve plant performance and operations for both GE and non-GE assets.
Steve Bolze, president and CEO of GE Power singled out the Futtsu station installation as “our first advanced digital power plant project in Japan. It demonstrates the numerous operational benefits that utilities can achieve by investing in the industry’s latest software solutions.”