GE (NYSE: GE) announced today the launch of its latest aeroderivative gas turbine, the LM6000-PF+, employing technologies from across the GE Store to bring power online faster and more efficiently than in the past. The LM6000-PF+ (PF+) already has seen success with a six-unit order from Thailand’s Gulf Energy Development (GED) with Mitsui Corp (Mitsui) under EPC contract with TOYO Engineering Corp (TOYO), making it the largest Thailand deal for distributed power applications in GE’s history. The announcement was made at this year’s POWER-GEN Asia conference in Bangkok.
The PF+ is GE’s latest gas turbine technology through increased performance, flexibility and installation speed. To maintain its outstanding reliability, the PF+ shares more than 90 percent commonality with previous LM6000 models, and it employs modern technologies from the GE Store of solutions to create a more-efficient gas turbine with faster installation. In fact, the upcoming LM6000-PF+ package is expected to incorporate technologies from four GE businesses, including: GE Aviation for the gas turbine, GE Energy Management for controls, GE Oil & Gas for gearbox equipment and GE Power & Water for the overall package design and engineering.
As a result of GE’s cross-business collaboration, the PF+ offers higher gas turbine output (52-58 megawatts) and combined-cycle efficiency (56 percent) than other products in its class. Some of the latest technologies include super polished compressor airfoils and an upgraded dual-fuel Dry Low Emissions (DLE) combustor.
“We have faith in GE and believe that by choosing the LM6000-PF+, which is recognized for its increased performance and flexibility, it should serve our requirements fittingly for the specific project conditions. Moreover, it is a bonus for us to be the first market in the world to get this product,” said Ravi Kurmahorita, GED’s EVP for Business Development.
GED, one of the largest independent power producers (IPP) in Thailand, has selected the PF+ for three combined-cycle power plants (two units each) to be installed within 300 km of Bangkok. The new plants will utilize the PF+’s high exhaust temperature to help increase efficiency and generate additional power—approximately 90 megawatts (MW) of power generation from each plant will be dispatched to the national grids. GE’s local team in Thailand has worked closely with GED and its partners since 2014 to ensure the LM6000-PF+ was an ideal solution for customer’s needs, and GED has also signed a 25-year multi-year agreement (MYA) with GE for long-term upgrades and maintenance on the six units. The units are expected to be shipped in 2016.
“This collaboration between GED and GE is very significant to us,” added Kovit Kantapasara, CEO of GE in Thailand. “We are happy to see GED benefiting from the LM6000 PF+’s enhanced technologies, and we are proud that GE is a strong partner with the Thai government to provide stable and efficient power solutions.”
The PF+ will be introduced with a new package design for full installation in as little as three months for simple-cycle plants and 12 months for combined-cycle plants. The new package can be installed more than 50 percent faster than previous LM6000 models and is ideally suited for customers needing flexible power as quickly as possible.
“It’s not every day that we can take a great machine and make it even better, but that is what we have done with the LM6000-PF+, and our first orders are proof of its early success,” said Lorraine Bolsinger, president & CEO of GE’s Distributed Power business. “We specifically engineered the PF+ to be an excellent solution for combined-cycle and critical power applications, resulting in our lowest dollars-per-kilowatt of any LM6000 and the fastest time for installation and commissioning in our history.”
The LM6000 was first introduced in the early 1990s and has since been modified and upgraded continuously to meet industry and customer demands. As with all LM6000 models, the PF+ gas turbine is derived from GE’s aviation engine heritage, the CF6 jet engine, which powers most aircrafts worldwide. The CF6 remains one of the most-selling engines available for wide-body aircraft today.
