GE Expands Presence In Australia

GE announced the opening of its new Perth Aeroderivative Services Level 2 facility and Tooling Store to provide enhanced support to its GE LM6000, LM2500 and LMS100 aeroderivative gas turbine fleet installed in Australia.

The facility will enable faster and more flexible execution of planned and unplanned maintenance, most of which would take place within the country, with a consequent reduction of the repair cycle time and logistics costs for Australian aeroderivative power plant operators, the company said. In addition, the facility includes a Tooling Store operated by FieldCore, the field services company owned by GE which will serve the entire GE fleet within the Asia Pacific region to help ensure faster availability of tools for aero hot gas path section repairs and engine exchange tooling kits to accelerate completion time for outages.

With a presence in the region spanning more than 126 years, GE’s flexible and reliable aviation-derived turbines power a variety of operations across Australia ranging from large fleets of baseload units in the mining industry to fast-starting high efficiency units supporting renewables growth on the East Coast electricity grid. With the opening of the center, GE will already be servicing a fleet of over 50 turbines for power plant operators such as Synergy, Rio Tinto, Transalta, ATCO and Alinta among others.

According to the Australian Energy Update 2019 report, natural gas accounted for 25% of energy consumption in 2017–18. Gas consumption rose by 4 percent in 2017–18, with increased use in mining in Western Australia. Australia is expected to reach 50% renewable energy generation by 2030 and is on track to exceed 75% renewables by 2040  according to Reputex Energy. Gas-fired generators are an ideal complement to variable renewable resources because the technology can change power levels quickly, turn down to low levels when demand is less, and start up very rapidly. All of these attributes enable gas turbines to work in concert with renewables to maintain reliability in the Australian power system.

“At GE, we are committed to supporting the Australian government’s goals of strengthening renewable energy generation. We have the right technology, domain expertise, and experience to provide cleaner, more accessible energy that Australia can depend on to power growth and prosperity,” said Sam Maresh, CEO of GE for Australia. “Australia’s renewables growth coupled with the expected retirement of large baseload coal-fired power stations are both ideal opportunities for our efficient aeroderivative gas turbines to maintain security of supply, integrate with renewables, and keep power up and running.”

With more than 150 million operating hours over the last 45 years, GE’s aeroderivative fleet includes more than 2800 gas turbines deployed in more than 60 countries representing more than 125 GW of installed capacity. GE’s aeroderivative gas turbines show experience on a wide range of gas and liquid fuels and can be operated on many alternative fuels that are available worldwide. GE’s aeroderivative gas turbine portfolio currently has the capability to burn blends of hydrogen and natural gas, ensuring these assets can continue to provide sustainable and efficient power in the future.