GE & MGH mark commercial operations of 9F gas turbines at Baghdad Power Plant

GE and Mass Group Holding (MGH) have successfully commenced simple cycle commercial operations of four advanced GE 9F gas turbines under phase I of the Ministry of Electricity’s (MOE) Baghdad Power Plant in Besmaya. Located about 40 kilometers from Baghdad, the facility is the first one in the country outside the Kurdistan region to be developed by an independent power producer on a build-own-operate (BOO) basis for the Iraqi MOE.

The new project is being constructed by and will also be operated by MGH and will add 3,000 MW of power to the grid when fully operational. The second phase of the project is expected to start commercial operations in 2018.

Musab al Mudarres, an Electricity Ministry spokesman, said: “The commercial operations of Baghdad Power Plant by Mass Group Holding using GE’s advanced equipment comes at a significant time, as we focus on strengthening Iraq’s electricity infrastructure to meet the growing needs of residents and various industries. We have set a new model in power generation with the Baghdad project. By accelerating public private partnerships, we aim to ensure the seamless supply of electricity to our people.”

Once complete, the Baghdad Power Plant will take the total power produced by MGH in Iraq to 7,000 MW. GE has already delivered advanced equipment for MGH’s power plants in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Dohuk, which together have an installed capacity of 4,000 MW.

“With a successful track-record of commissioning three power projects equipped with GE technologies already, we are committed to partnering with the government in building a strong efficient power infrastructure,” said Ahmad Ismail, Chairman of MGH. “The Baghdad Power Plant in Besmaya is truly path-breaking as it is the first of its kind by the private sector in central and south Iraq. By adding power to the national grid, we are contributing to the growth of the economy, and meeting the aspirations of the people.”

GE is supplying eight 9F.03 gas turbines and four D200 steam turbines for the Besmaya plant, which will be the first power generation project in Iraq to use advanced F-class turbines. GE’s 9F.03 heavy-duty gas turbine delivers efficiency, flexible operations and reliability in one proven solution. With more than 99 percent reliability and broad fuel flexibility, it delivers consistent performance in diverse applications. GE has more than 200 F-class installed units worldwide, with an excess of 12 million operating hours.

“We are committed to supporting Iraq meet the growing need for electricity to further accelerate economic development and improve the everyday lives of Iraqis,” said Mohamad Ali, President & CEO of GE’s Gas Power Systems – Projects in the Middle East, North Africa and India. “Through the Besmaya project, we are proud to set new benchmarks in the country with MGH for an independent power project that is financially sustainable, with lower emissions and reduced inspection and maintenance overheads.”

GE has already signed a multi-year agreement with MGH for the Besmaya plant, which includes operations and maintenance (O&M) services, as well as GE’s advanced digital industrial solutions that will be launched in Iraq for the very first time. Powered by Predix, GE’s cloud-based operating system built exclusively for the Industrial Internet, GE’s Asset Performance Management (APM) software application will draw data to monitor, analyze, enhance and predict equipment health. APM’s anomaly detection capability helps predict outages before they happen, improving power plant reliability, optimizing just-in-time maintenance and reducing plant downtime.

GE also recently signed agreements with the Ministry of Electricity to set up the Samawa and Dhi Qar Power Plants, which will add a total of 1,500 MW of power to the Iraqi grid. In the first phase of the project, GE will install four 9E gas turbines in simple cycle at each site by 2018. The second phase will entail the combined cycle conversion of the 9E units.

With three offices in Iraq - in Baghdad, Erbil and the southern oil & gas hub of Basra – GE delivers advanced technology and expertise to local customers. Over 130 GE turbines are in operation in the country apart from ongoing agreements to support power generation plants across Iraq.

Source: genewsroom.com