OREANDA-NEWS. GE’s Power Services business (NYSE: GE) today announced the start of a new steam turbine overhaul project at the Mondi Swiecie S.A. paper mill in Poland, as well as the successful completion of advanced boiler upgrades at two coal-fired power plants operated by ČEZ, a. s. and Energotrans a. s. in the Czech Republic. The projects are the latest in a series of orders showcasing GE’s enhanced global capabilities to service other manufacturers’ power generation equipment after the company acquired Alstom Power in November 2015. 

“These projects underscore our expanded capabilities as a total solutions provider for operators around the world—no matter if their turbines and other components were originally supplied by GE, Alstom or another original equipment manufacturer (OEM),” said Paul McElhinney, president and CEO of GE’s Power Services business. “GE is committed to offering greater value to operators seeking to improve the life cycle performance of their power generation equipment. With technologies and expertise that now cross all major plant assets, and numerous OEM brands, Power Services can develop solutions that deliver better performance and value at the plant and fleet levels.” 

Overhaul of Siemens-Supplied Industrial Steam Turbine at Mondi Swiecie S.A. Paper Mill 

In Poland, GE’s Power Services business will overhaul a Siemens-supplied, 48-megawatt (MW) PBS industrial steam turbine at Mondi Swiecie S.A.’s paper mill in Swiecie. The turbine overhauling will extend the unit’s operating life by eight years—up to the year 2024. The project reflects the paper mill industry’s growing emphasis on equipment life cycle extensions to help postpone new investments in the coming years. 

For the project, GE is overhauling a Siemens-supplied PBS Brno steam turbine in Unit 2 of the mill’s 4-unit station. GE will provide a factory overhaul of the steam turbine’s rotors and new blades, as well as a factory overhaul of the generator rotor. GE’s field services team also will overhaul the turbine generator’s control system and auxiliary equipment at the mill. As a result of these upgrades, the turbine’s power output will increase by up to 2 percent, and its availability will reach up to 97 percent. 

The paper mill, which is fueled by hard coal and biomass, features turbine-generator systems supplied by four different OEMs. The fourth unit, which is still under construction, will increase the power plant’s total output to 200 MW, up from the facility’s current 112 MW. Mondi Swiecie S.A. is owned by the Mondi Group, an international packaging and paper group that employs about 25,000 people in more than 30 countries. 

Boiler Modernizations at Počerady and Mělník Coal-Fired Power Plants, Czech Republic 

GE recently completed advanced boiler modernization projects at the coal-fired plant Elektrárna Počerady, a. s. from ČEZ Group and the coal-fired Mělník I power plant, operated by Energotrans a. s., which is a power and engineering company fully controlled by ČEZ. These upgrades reduced the power plants’ nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 60 percent, enabling the stations to supply power and heat to households and industries in compliance with European Union (EU) emissions standards.

“Refurbishing the Mělník I power plant guarantees Prague, Neratovice and Mělník reliable long-term deliveries of heat generated in an environmentally sound manner,” said Miroslav Krpec, CEO of Energotrans. “Citizens of Prague and the Central Bohemian Region quickly benefitted from cleaner air as we brought the modernized equipment into operation in stages throughout 2015.” 

Nitrogen oxides are byproducts of combustion processes. It is crucial for operators to control NOx emissions because not only is NOx a major air pollutant by itself, but it also reacts in the atmosphere to form ozone—the primary constituent of smog—and acid rain. Ozone remains a significant air pollution problem worldwide, with many people continuing to be exposed to unhealthy levels in the air they breathe. 

GE modernized four, 200 MW pulverized coal boilers— originally supplied by Czech engineering group Vitkovice—at the Počerady power plant in the northwestern part of the country, as well as six Vitkovice-supplied pulverized coal boilers at the 1,089 MW Mělník I power plant.

“Over a period of only six days, at the Počerady power plant, we gradually increased the output of each boiler from 130 to 190 MW to ensure everything worked properly. Each boiler passed demanding stress tests and we are very satisfied with the performance of the new equipment and the project execution of the GE team,” said Jiří Kulhánek, CEO of the Elektrárna Počerady, a. s. power plant of the ČEZ Group. 

About GE’s Power Services Business

GE’s Power Services business, headquartered in Baden, Switzerland, delivers world-class solutions for our customers across total plant assets and their operational lifetimes. This organization supports 2,800+ customers worldwide with an installed base of 28,000+ power generation assets, which includes other OEMs, and taps into the Industrial Internet to improve the performance of our solutions over the entire life cycle through the power of software and big data analytics.

About GE Power

GE Power is a world leader in power generation with deep domain expertise to help customers deliver electricity from a wide spectrum of fuel sources. We are transforming the electricity industry with the

digital power plant, the world’s largest and most efficient gas turbine, full balance of plant, upgrade and service solutions as well as our data-leveraging software. Our innovative technologies and digital offerings help make power more affordable, reliable, accessible and sustainable.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry.