GE Vernova’s HA gas turbine fleet achieves two million operating hours

GE Vernova's Gas Power division marked a significant achievement today as its advanced H-Class heavy-duty gas turbine fleet surpassed a milestone of over two million commercial operating hours, spread across 88 units worldwide. This fleet stands out as one of the most responsive and adaptable in the industry, empowering grid operators to rapidly dispatch power, serving as both baseload and complementing intermittent renewable energy sources. Since the inaugural commercial operation of the flagship HA gas turbine in 2016, the HA fleet has expanded to possess an installed capacity of 47 gigawatts (GW), equivalent to the energy needed to power 35 million American households.

Amit Kulkarni, Head of Product Management at GE Vernova's Gas Power business, emphasized their role in advancing the decarbonization efforts within the industry, aligning with the goals of delivering sustainable, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions. Kulkarni expressed their excitement at reaching this latest HA fleet milestone, which has been instrumental in helping power plant operators reduce emissions, enhance efficiency, retire coal-fired facilities, and integrate greater levels of renewable energy on a global scale. With over 80 units now in commercial operation, the HA fleet has emerged as the fastest-growing fleet in the H-class heavy-duty gas turbine category worldwide. The company celebrated this achievement alongside their HA plant customers across the globe.

Key HA Milestones:

In 2021, the HA fleet celebrated its first million operating hours, coinciding with the first commercial operation of GE Vernova's 9HA.02 gas turbine—a notable 50 Hertz (Hz) model—at Southern Power Generation's Sultan Ibrahim Power Plant in southern Malaysia, earning recognition as the "2021 Power Plant of the Year" by POWER Magazine and "Power Plant of the World" by Diesel & Gas Turbine Worldwide.

In 2022, GE Vernova introduced the first commercial operation of the 7HA.03 technology at Florida Power & Light Company's Dania Beach Clean Energy Center. This 60 Hertz (Hz) gas turbine, part of the HA platform, stands as the largest, most efficient, and flexible model currently operational globally, offering an economical conversion of gas to electricity.

Numerous HA combined cycle power plants are pivotal in facilitating the transition from coal to gas, providing essential power to balance the variable nature of renewables, ensuring energy system reliability and grid stability. For example, in the United States, the Indeck Niles natural gas-fired combined cycle plant employs two 7HA.02 turbines that swiftly adjust power output, supporting the growth of renewables. Similarly, in Europe, HA gas turbines will power the Ostroleka C combined cycle power plant in northeast Poland, reinforcing energy security while phasing out coal and expanding renewable and nuclear energy resources.

GE Vernova is committed to advancing gas power technologies toward zero-carbon power generation, encompassing pre-combustion solutions with hydrogen and post-combustion solutions with carbon capture and sequestration.

Pre-combustion capabilities: The H-Class gas turbine portfolio can currently burn up to 50 percent hydrogen when blended with natural gas, facilitated by the DLN2.6e combustion system standard on current 9HA.01/9HA.02/7HA.03 gas turbine offerings. A technology roadmap aims to achieve 100 percent hydrogen burn capability in this platform by 2030. The Long Ridge Energy Terminal demonstrated successful operation on hydrogen-blended gas, while the Guangdong Huizhou combined cycle power plant in mainland China is poised to become the first to use hydrogen blended with natural gas.

Post-combustion capabilities: H-class combined cycle plants can incorporate carbon capture systems, reducing CO2 emissions by up to 90 percent. These initiatives leverage GE Vernova's expertise in technology integration, natural gas combined cycle plant engineering, operability, and plant integration.

Kulkarni concluded by highlighting that this milestone is just the start for the HA fleet, emphasizing their commitment to collaborating with customers and partners to introduce groundbreaking technologies for a lower-carbon future, including enhanced hydrogen burning capabilities and carbon capture, storage, and sequestration systems.

Source:ge.com