MHPS Selected For Brazil Project

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) announced that its M501 JAC gas turbine was selected for the Vale Azul II power plant project in Brazil.

The project marks the first Brazilian application of the M501 JAC turbine, the company said. The J Series gas turbines are an integration of the G Series and elemental technologies for temperature increase as a result of the Japanese national project for the development of 1700°C class gas turbines. They operate at a turbine inlet temperature of 1600°C. The M501 JAC series gas turbines adopt air cooling for combustors instead of steam cooling. With a performance equivalent to the M501J Series gas turbines, they produce a high level of operability including a shorter start-up time, the company said.

The M501 JAC offers 575 MW in one-on-one combined cycle applications and 64% LHV efficiency.

The plant, which will have a contracted output of 466 MW in combined cycle, was selected in the A-6 Brazilian Electricity Auction held on Dec. 20.

MHPS said its technology will provide efficient base load power with low variable cost for the 25-year term of the power purchase agreements to be executed as a result of the auction, which will start in 2023. As a result, the Brazilian grid will be bolstered by reliable and efficient power generation and, subject to execution of a gas supply agreement, fueled by domestic natural gas produced by Shell.

“This project is a major victory for our South American division, in an incredibly competitive market,” said Alex Aoki, president & CEO of MHPS South America. “We used a ground-breaking gas turbine technology that will enable the most fuel efficient and affordable power plant in South America.  With leading MHPS technology, an experienced team on the ground, and a trusted industry partner like Shell, this project represents a Change in Power for the Brazilian grid.”

The new plant will be MHPS-TOMONI enabled. “Tomoni” is a Japanese word that means “traveling together,” signifying the combination of digital and physical products and services. The plant will have a digitally-enabled cloud-based information infrastructure and will use data analytics and machine learning to leverage the massive amount of data that are generated during plant operations, driving optimum power plant performance, flexibility and reliability, the company said.

The Vale Azul II Project, now known by the consortium name Marlim Azul (Blue Marlin), and will be owned by a special purpose entity with shareholding by MHPS, MH Power Systems Representacoes America Latina and Vale Azul Energia Ltda. The project was one of two winners in the Brazil National Agency of Electric Power on Dec. 20, 2017.