GE has secured a contract from power generation company Drax Group for upgrading its Shoreham power station near Brighton in the UK. GE will upgrade the power station by supplying and installing its GT26 HE (high efficiency) gas turbine.
Drax Generation CEO Andy Koss said: “GE’s GT26 HE gas turbine upgrade could provide a significant efficiency increase, more flexibility and greater power output from Shoreham Power Station.
“These are critical attributes, which complement the roll-out of renewables in the UK and can help to ensure a stable power supply whatever the weather.”
GE has also agreed to provide its digital solutions as well as plant improvement services to further enhance the power plants flexibility. The company plans to conduct enablement inspection this year and will implement the gas turbine upgrade in 2021.
Once completed, the upgrade is expected to increase the power station’s efficiency by about 2.5% as well as add more than 40MW of power at baseload.
GE’s Power Services business H/F-Class turbines general manager Amit Kulkarni said: “Our new HE product is the most advanced solution we’ve ever introduced on a GT26 gas turbine, and it provides significant performance improvements for an F-class combined-cycle gas turbine upgrade.
“Not only will this upgrade help Drax improve its efficiency and output, but it will also improve its competitive position in the UK energy marketplace.”
The GT26 HE upgrade will expand on the current technology GE uses in its F and H class turbines.
