GE announced that it will provide its 9EMax™ gas turbine upgrade solution to the German power producer, Stadtwerke München (SWM), for the utility’s plant in Munich. SWM’s cogeneration plant (CHP) Heizkraftwerk-Süd (HKW-Süd) produces thermal energy for district heating for the industry and residential users.
It is an important component of Munich’s energy supply. Modernizing two GE 9E.03 gas turbines and two A39 generators is expected to increase power output by approximately 15 megawatts (MW) per unit and up to 3% efficiency of each gas turbine. When completed in 2020, SWM expects to reduce nitrous oxide emissions significantly and also decrease carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
“SWM’s district heating network extends approximately 800 kilometers and provides heat and hot water for a third of the households in Munich,” said Helge-Uve Braun, technical managing director of SWM. “In the long term, we want to generate CO2-neutral district heating in Munich, primarily using geothermal energy. Until then, we are working on optimizing our existing conventional plants and continuing to operate them as environmentally friendly as possible. Having worked with GE for more than 15 years, we turned to their trusted technological expertise to help us find a long-term solution to improve our plant’s flexibility and energy efficiency.”
Germany’s energy transition program foresees the phase-out of nuclear power generation by 2022, as well the exit from coal-based power generation by 2038, with a constant increase of renewables in the country’s energy mix. GE’s 9EMax solution will increase operational flexibility and help SWM to adapt quickly to these dynamic market conditions. For example, 9EMax includes two load commutated inverters (LCI) for faster starts, enabling SWM to bring their units online in about 4 ½ minutes.
GE developed its 9EMax upgrade using deep domain experience from its global fleet of more than 700 9E gas turbines and insights from more than 30 million hours of operating data from its installed base. The solution delivers up to 37 percent efficiency and up to 145 MW of output in simple-cycle operation. It can be accomplished within the same footprint as an existing 9E gas turbine and without sacrificing the rugged reliability the fleet is known for. It maintains the 9E gas turbine’s proven reliability and enables up to 32,000 hours/900 start maintenance intervals.