By Akanimo Sampson
Mitsubishi Power, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, is currently focusing its resources into promoting adoption of high-efficiency, environmentally friendly Gas Turbine Combined Cycle (GTCC) power generation equipment.
Insiders say it is in a quest to contribute to stable supplies of electric power indispensable to worldwide economic development, and to help achieve a sustainable de-carbonised society.
Already, the company has received an order for two M701JAC gas turbines, the company’s latest model in its air-cooled J-Series, for a 1,500-megawatt (MW) class natural-gas-fired GTCC (gas turbine combined cycle) power plant under construction in Sirdarya, the Republic of Uzbekistan.
The order follows the conclusion of an equipment supply agreement for the Sirdarya project between ACWA Power, a leading Saudi developer, investor and operator of power and water desalination assets in 13 countries worldwide, and China Gezhouba Group Co., Ltd. (CGGC) as the appointed project EPC contractor.
The Sirdarya project was planned by the government of Uzbekistan to provide cleaner, more efficient and cost-competitive gas power that can be utilized across industries in Uzbekistan.
This new plant will have capacity equivalent to 8% of Uzbekistan’s total generation capability and will be able to meet 15% of the country’s overall power demand when complete.
Construction of the new power plant will also lead to the partial closure of existing Sirdarya thermal power plant with improved efficiency, which is expected to result in a reduction of CO2 emissions by 2.2 million tons per year.
In addition to providing two high-efficiency next-generation gas turbines as the plant’s core equipment, Mitsubishi Power will also provide technical advisers to support construction and commissioning and 25-year long term service agreement (LTSA) to support reliable operation.
The JAC-Series are gas turbines featuring a forced-air-cooled combustor system and an optimized cooling structure.
They also have an extra-thick-film thermal barrier coating that enables more advanced cooling of turbine blades, and they adopt a compressor with a high pressure ratio.
Since inception in 2004, ACWA Power has grown rapidly both domestically and internationally in line with its mission to make available electricity and desalinated water in a reliable and responsible manner to support the social development and economic growth of nations where they operate.
CGGC is headquartered in Beijing and undertakes business in more than 140 countries worldwide, mainly in the fields of hydropower, environmental protection, equipment manufacture and infrastructure development.
