OREANDA-NEWS. Russian Gas Turbines LLC - a joint venture between GE (NYSE: GE), Inter RAO Group, and United Engine Corporation (UEC, a subsidiary of state corporation Rostec) - has opened a new factory in the city of Rybinsk in Russia's Yaroslavl Region to manufacture, sell, and service GE 6F.03 (6FA) gas turbines. The first two turbines, earmarked for delivery to Rosneft, will complete assembly in 2015. The new facility has a production capacity of up to twenty gas turbines per year in order to meet the region's demand for high-performance power blocks for combined heat and power applications.

Russian Gas Turbines is 50% owned by GE and 25% each by Inter RAO and UEC. The partners are investing 5 billion rubles in creating and developing the joint manufacturing venture.

The 6F.03 gas turbine manufacturing venture is a leading example of cooperation in advanced power plant engineering technologies in Russia. GE's high-tech 79 megawatt (MW) 6F.03 gas turbine provides greater than 55 percent combined cycle efficiency. With its high reliability, compact design, and ability to run on several different fuel types in extreme weather conditions, the 6F.03 turbine is ideally suited for a wide array of applications, including power generation, district heating, and industrial cogeneration.

"We are beginning the production of power equipment that has a high potential to be in demand during the process of developing and upgrading Russian power plants," Inter RAO Chairman of the Management Board Boris Kovalchuk said, adding that "it is especially important that the gas turbine production facility is, to a high degree, localizing advanced power technologies. As a result, our Russian Gas Turbines joint venture will further enhance Russia's energy security."

GE Russia/CIS President & CEO Ron Pollett said: "GE has been cooperating with Russia for almost 100 years. We are proud to mark a major milestone in that relationship with the opening of the gas turbine production facility in Rybinsk. We are confident in the potential of this strategic partnership to support the modernization of Russia's infrastructure. The new facility will help address Russia's growing need for high-performance innovative power generation equipment, and will create local, highly skilled engineering jobs as well as allow us to expand our technological footprint."

State corporation Rostec Deputy CEO Dmitriy Shugaev explained that "UEC's role in the project is first and foremost localizing the production of the main elements of the 6FA gas turbine at UEC's facilities. At the present time, a working group of GE and UEC specialists is actively engaged with the question of localization, and we believe that our joint efforts will achieve concrete results and the Russian-made components will meet all requirements and quality standards."