OREANDA-NEWS. Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas, Inc. (MHPSA) has been awarded a contract by Spain-based Iberdrola SA, to provide two M501J gas turbines and one steam turbine for the CFE Noreste combined cycle power plant, located in Escobedo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE) recently awarded Iberdrola a contract for an 850 MW combined cycle power plant to supply electricity to help meet the growing demand in northeastern Mexico. This project will be completed and online in July 2018. Once installed, it will be the most efficient and one of the largest combined cycle power plants in Mexico.

"As the pioneer in Advanced Technology Gas Turbines (ATGT), the MHPS awarded and installed ATGT fleet is 53 percent larger than the total combined fleet of all other OEMs," said David Walsh, MHPSA's President and CEO.  "Iberdrola's decision to select the M501J was strongly influenced by the sizable commercial fleet already in operation, along with the turbine's unmatched reliability and efficiency. It will add significantly to that region's ability to power current and future needs."

Turning to efficient, reliable "J" technology
The Noreste Power Plant will be the first in Mexico to feature the M501J, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS) latest gas turbine technology.  Tracing its lineage to the G-Series turbines, the J-Series is proving to be as reliable as its predecessor. The two M501J gas turbines for Noreste will be manufactured at MHPSA's Savannah Machinery Works in Savannah, Georgia.

To date, 41 MHPS J-Series gas turbines have been sold of which 17 are in commercial operation. Ten units have exceeded 8,000 actual operating hours (AOH), while the fleet has already accumulated more than 170,000 AOH since the J-Series commercialization began in 2013.  This track record of successful commercial operation was a key qualification in the CFE bidding process and contributed to the selection by Iberdrola for the M501J.

MHPS' highly efficient and reliable M501J gas turbine utilizes technology based on 20 years of analysis, test, and operation that includes the G-Series gas turbines.  The company is the world leader in the development and delivery of the latest 60Hz Advanced Technology Gas Turbines rated above 250 MW.  MHPS has been awarded 135 G and J turbines since their first commercial dispatch in 1997.  To date, the G and J fleets have logged over 3.1 million operating hours by customers around the world.