Upgrade In India

GE and aluminum rolling company Hindalco industries LTD. announced an agreement to upgrade generation equipment at Hindalco’s Renusagar Captive Power Plant located in Uttar Pradesh, India.

The steam turbine modernizations on legacy Alstom products provided by GE will help increase the plant’s efficiency by up to 6% and reduce the cost of power generation by approximately US$15 million over five years, the company said.

“We are pleased to collaborate with GE on this project to demonstrate the feasibility of upgrading our existing steam turbines, which will allow us to increase the output, efficiency and performance of our existing fleet of plants,” said S.N. Jajoo, chief operating officer, Hindalco Industries Ltd. (Renusagar, Renukoot and Mahan). Power is among the largest cost components in the manufacturing of aluminium—approximately 33 to 35% of the total cost per ton of aluminum manufacturing is attributed to power expenses.

“Reducing the cost of power generation is relevant for an aluminum company like Hindalco, one of Asia’s biggest primary aluminum companies,” said Ashok Ganesan, managing director—GE Power India Limited and leader of GE’s Powering Efficiency COE. “Power costs are a major contributor to Hindalco’s overall production expenditures. GE has a long-standing relationship with Hindalco, having supplied steam turbines, boilers, generators and advanced steam path upgrades over the last 30 years. We are proud, our robust portfolio of hardware upgrades features breakthrough power generation capabilities that will help Hindalco meet its cost targets.”

With the upgrade, GE will modernize two steam turbines at the Renusagar Captive Power Plant, targeting turbine output increases of up to 4 MW each—improving the efficiency of the plant and extending the life of the units by approximately 20 years. The upgrades also will lower the cost of production and improve reliability and availability at the plant.

The global demand for primary aluminum is expected to be robust, growing to around 4.5%. In India, aluminum demand is poised for 6 to 8% growth per year.

“India’s power generation sector is at a unique point in its evolution—growing renewables in a country where energy security has meant a heavy reliance on coal. To meet future challenges, significant upgrades and the introduction of new technologies to raise the efficiency and flexibility of coal-based power generation solutions, help with baseload generation and balance the grid as renewables come online are an absolute necessity. To meet its growing demand for electricity, India needs a comprehensive review of its subcritical technology dominated by coal-based power plants. GE’s Powering Efficiency COE showcases the ability to ensure real-time answers to modernize power generation infrastructure,” continued Ganesan.

GE’s Powering Efficiency COE brings together cross-business experts in its energy businesses to apply a total plant hardware and software solution approach to boost the efficiency of the world’s new and existing coal-fired power plants and to significantly reduce their emissions.