GE has completed the modernization of the first of two 9FA gas turbines at the Kureimat power plant, located in Atfieh, Upper Egypt, and owned by the Upper Egypt Electricity Production Company (UEEPC).
The upgrade increases the unit’s output from 250 MW to 270 MW and improves its efficiency by 2.8%. It will also lower gas consumption and reduce operational costs by extending outage intervals. As a result, UEEPC will gain a estimated $3.5 million per year from reduced costs. Upgrade of the second unit is expected to be completed by mid-2017.
GE has been active in Egypt for more than 40 years, and more than 140 GE gas and steam turbines are installed in country, generating over 15.5 GW. The maintenance, reworking and upgrading of existing plant represents a significant proportion of the company’s business.
Ibarahim AlShahat, chairman of the Upper Egypt Electricity Company, said: “The upgrades by GE will include best-in-class technology and will help us meet our three main goals: increasing efficiency and output of our power plant as well as reducing downtime for outages. Through our collaboration, we look forward to improving flexibility and operational efficiency of our existing power plant for the coming years.”
The Kureimat power plant is a combined-cycle plant that is powered by two 9FA gas turbines, each generating 250 MW, and a steam turbine, with a total output of 750 MW.