Wood Group GTS has been awarded a $1.4m contract to replace four obsolete and proprietary GE Millennium turbine control panels at the Sand Hill Energy Center in Austin, Texas, US.

The panels will be replaced with Wood Group GTS’s icon™ control systems, which give power plant operators the ability to modify turbine controls themselves to meet differing plant conditions.

Under this turnkey contract, Wood Group GTS is responsible for the design, control system equipment, software, site installation, testing and commissioning of the new systems. The control panels will be replaced with an open-architecture Rockwell ControlLogix® platform.

Wood Group GTS power plant services president Frank Avery said: "GE LM6000 gas turbines play an essential part in driving today’s power plants and industrial power generation facilities. However, the proprietary OEM systems that control those turbines are nearing the end of their natural life cycles and many owners are experiencing issues due to obsolescence, functional limitations or maintainability challenges.

"Our controls upgrades and optimization products provide increased flexibility and reliability to owners and operators of gas turbines. We look to maximize our customers’ success by providing a proven, flexible and configurable solution that helps to increase their ability to be self-sufficient."

Icon controls are part of Wood Group GTS’s overall products and services designed to maximize the return on plant operators’ investment in gas turbine technology.