GE celebrates shipment of 1,000th F-class gas turbine

Over the past 20 years, GE Energy’s F-class gas turbines have set a variety of standards for the global power generation industry. On August 13, GE celebrated another landmark: the shipment of its 1,000th F-technology gas turbine.

With local dignitaries, GE officials and a representative from the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) looking on, GE rolled the milestone machine out of the Greenville, S.C., manufacturing plant on a rail car to begin a journey to Saudi Arabia. The Frame 7FA gas turbine will be one of four to be installed at the Saudi Electricity Company’s Riyadh Power Plant No. 8 expansion project in Saudi Arabia’s Central Province.

Today, GE’s F-class gas turbines operate in 45 countries around the world, and that installed fleet has surpassed 20 million hours of commercial operation – making GE the global leader in advanced gas turbine operating experience. The GE F-technology fleet has produced approximately 3.8 billion megawatt hours of power, enough to power every household in the United States for three continuous years.

“Since its introduction in 1987, our F technology has made a major impact both on the power generation industry and on the General Electric Company,” said John Krenicki, president and CEO of GE Energy. “Over those 20 years, activities associated with all aspects of our F technology, including sales and services, have produced in excess of $30 billion in revenue for the company.”

The shipment of the 7FA gas turbine for Saudi Electricity is part of a recent surge in new power plant activity in the Middle East, Krenicki noted. Since December 2006, GE has announced orders totaling nearly $3.8 billion for gas turbine-based projects in the region. Of the 77 GE gas turbines involved in those projects, 45 are F-class machines.

“The Middle East is one of the most important growth areas for GE Energy in the world today,” said Krenicki. “The need for additional power supply in the region is driving strong demand for power plant equipment and services, as evidenced by the recent commitments our business has received. With its proven reliability and overall performance, our F technology is a good match for the needs of our customers in the region.”

“SEC has experienced a good relationship with GE throughout the last 40 years, since the first gas turbines were installed in the country. At the moment, SEC operates a fleet of more than 250 combustion gas turbines, generating roughly 40 percent of the total SEC production, which will rise in the future as the new, high efficiency gas turbines go into commercial operation,” said Ali S. Albarrak, president and CEO of Saudi Electricity Company.

More than 40 years of gas turbine experience from GE Energy, GE Aviation and GE Global Research went into the development of the F technology. Since the first F unit began operation at Dominion Resources’ Chesterfield site in Virginia in 1990, the technology has become an industry benchmark for efficient and reliable electricity production.

According to ORAP(a) data, GE’s Frame 7F gas turbine is the most reliable machine in the F class and was the first to achieve 99.1 percent reliability. In addition, the newest member of the GE fleet, the Frame 9FB, has achieved combined-cycle efficiency exceeding 58 percent.

“The Frame 9FB is an example of how GE continues to invest in and evolve our F technology to meet the changing needs of our customers,” said Krenicki. Configured with GE’s High Efficiency Advanced Technology (HEAT®) steam turbine in gas-fired, combined-cycle operation, the 9FB can produce more than 412 megawatts, a significant increase over the 9FA’s combined-cycle output of approximately 390 megawatts.

GE’s F machines also feature outstanding operational flexibility, being the first gas turbines in their class to reach 40 percent turndown while maintaining single-digit NOx and CO emissions levels.

Of the F-class machines shipped by GE, approximately 875 have been manufactured in Greenville, the world’s largest gas turbine manufacturing plant. Many of the remaining 125 units were manufactured in GE’s facility in Belfort, France. Other units were produced by GE Energy business associates through manufacturing and licensing agreements.