From GE:

GE and EDF Celebrate Production of First 9HA Unit, the World’s Largest and Most Efficient Gas Turbine Technology

May 28, 2015

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• First 9HA Gas Turbine Manufactured at GE’s Belfort Gas Turbine Center of Excellence in France
• Unit to be Shipped to Bouchain, France, where EDF and GE are Developing One of the World’s Most Flexible and Efficient Gas-Fired Plants
• New Plant to Help Support Renewables and Balance the Grid

BELFORT, FRANCE—May 28, 2015—After years of research and development supported by a billion dollar investment plan, GE (NYSE: GE) is celebrating today that the first 9HA, the world’s largest and most efficient gas turbine technology, has been manufactured at the company’s Belfort Gas Turbine Center of Excellence in France. The first 9HA unit will be shipped to Bouchain, France, where Électricité de France (EDF), one of the world’s largest utilities, and GE are developing one of the world’s most flexible and efficient gas-fired power plants.

“GE’s HA gas turbine technology is transforming the industry as the world’s largest and most efficient. With more than $1 billion in orders, customers across the globe are recognizing the value in the HA turbine,” said Victor Abate, president and CEO of power generation products at GE Power & Water. “Natural gas is leading the capacity for generation growth, and for the first time ever, more gas generation capacity will be added over the next decade than from any other fuel.”

Over the last 40 years, EDF has installed more than 120 GE turbines for projects totaling 12,000 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity. The project in Bouchain will be the first new gas power generation combined-cycle plant equipped with GE’s 9HA gas turbine technology. It is scheduled to enter commercial service in mid- to late-2016 in the Nord Pas-de-Calais region.

"With the HA technology, EDF confirms its focus on innovation and its commitment to implement cutting-edge technologies," said Umberto Dotta, vice president of operations, thermal generation and engineering division, EDF.

The operating flexibility of GE’s 9HA Gas Turbine technology will enable EDF to respond quickly to fluctuations in grid demand, paving the way for greater use of renewable energy in support of France’s energy and environmental priorities.

Key features of the plant include:

• Large-scale output, efficiency and flexibility. With a capacity of 575 MW, it will generate power that is equivalent to the power needs of 600,000 French homes and it will do so in less than 30 minutes at greater than 61 percent efficiency.
• Cost-effective technology. GE’s technology can help save 6.4 million cubic meters of natural gas each year compared to using F-class technology. Fuel costs can be reduced by €1.8 million, at a natural gas price of €7 per gigajoule.

“We are excited to celebrate this important step with EDF as we usher in a new era in power generation technology with the construction of the Bouchain power plant,” added Abate.

About GE’s Belfort Gas Turbine Center of Excellence

GE’s Belfort Gas Turbine Center of Excellence, the only producer of medium- and high-power gas turbines in France, designs and develops thermal power plants. Based in Belfort, in the heart of the “energy Valley,” the center is the global center of excellence for 50 Hertz gas turbines. GE Belfort represents a more than $100 million investment for GE, including a new dedicated test bench and assembly line. The company is a key player in French and European industry, employing nearly 1,800 experts capable of developing state-of-the-art simple or combined power plants for customers all over the world. GE develops a range of gas turbines from 43 to 510 MW.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) imagines things others don’t, builds things others can’t and delivers outcomes that make the world work better. GE brings together the physical and digital worlds in ways no other company can. In its labs and factories and on the ground with customers, GE is inventing the next industrial era to move, power, build and cure the world. www.ge.com.

About GE Power & Water

GE Power & Water provides customers with a broad array of power generation, energy delivery and water process technologies to solve their challenges locally. Power & Water works in all areas of the energy industry including renewable resources such as wind and solar; biogas and alternative fuels; and coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy. The business also develops advanced technologies to help solve the world’s most complex challenges related to water availability and quality. Power & Water’s six business units include Distributed Power, Nuclear Energy, Power Generation Products, Power Generation Services, Renewable Energy and Water & Process Technologies. Headquartered in Schenectady, N.Y., Power & Water is GE’s largest industrial business.

For more information, visit the company's website at www.gepower.com and http://powergen.gepower.comor follow GE Power & Water and GE Power Generation on Twitter @GE_PowerWater and @ge_powergenand on LinkedIn.