Introducing the GT26 High Efficiency (HE) Upgrade

Today with our launch customer Uniper, we’re introducing the GT26 High Efficiency (HE) upgrade … three years in the making, full of milestones and continuing our investment in the installed base and our customers. The HE is a great example of what we do best – listen to our customers’ needs, leverage our capabilities, and develop technology solutions to help them be more competitive.

Of noteworthy mention, the HE is:

• The world’s 1st high-efficiency upgrade for the GT26 fleet … and the most advanced solution we’ve ever introduced on a GT26 gas turbine
• Our 1st upgrade that takes the best technologies and capabilities from our industry-leading F- and H-class fleets to create a robust solution for GT26 power plant operators … and one of the most efficient upgrades in the F-class portfolio
• Our 1st upgrade that blends both GE's and Alstom's technologies and expertise across all major components of the turbine
• The 1st F-class gas turbine we will upgrade to H-class performance levels at greater than 60% combined cycle efficiency
• The best of our research and development capabilities, leveraging data-driven insights from 200M+ hours of operating data across our fleet
• Our largest development investment in the Alstom fleet since we completed the acquisition 

Our roots with GT26 go back ~21 years, when Alstom installed the first one in 1998 at Intergen’s Rocksavage power plant in the UK. Fast forward to today … the installed fleet spans ~100 units in 21+ countries. The GT26 fleet is a small but critical class of gas turbines on the grid that helps customers in Europe, Asia and parts of the Middle East operate more flexibly and respond faster to different operating profiles, especially as we see electricity demand globally continue to grow at over 2% a year for the foreseeable future.

With fluctuating demands in the power market, our customers need versatility to operate efficiently at varying loads and the ability to bid with confidence during peak power periods. Enter the GT26 HE upgrade which offers a leap forward in performance: better efficiency at varying loads (2%+ base load/up to 1% part load); more output (from 15 MWs up to 55 MWs); longer maintenance intervals (up to 32,000 operating hours) and greater fuel savings (up to $4M a year for base load). 

We expect to deliver even better performance results at Uniper’s Enfield plant – the first site to install the HE in June 2020 – helping Uniper to win in the highly competitive Great Britain power market.

Throughout the week, you’ll learn more about the upgrade and our relationship with Uniper. In the meantime, you can:

• View our press announcement to learn more
• Check out our HE interactive experience
• Watch a short video all about Uniper’s Enfield plant

Introducing the right solutions is key to our customers’ success as the industry continues to shift, and upgrades like the new HE are another example of how we’re developing the technology to help them win. My thanks to all of the teams involved in this new technology solution and today’s launch.