GE Power has signed a multiyear service agreement with Centrais Elétricas de Sergipe (CELSE) for the 1.5GW Porto de Sergipe combined-cycle power plant in Brazil

As per the agreement, GE will provide operations, maintenance, repairs and digital solutions, along with its OpShield cybersecurity solution.

The solutions and services provided by GE are expected to enable safe operational technology connectivity of the plant. Scheduled to be operational in early 2020,  the plant is estimated to meet about 15% of Northeastern Brazil’s energy needs.

As part of the agreement, GE will be responsible for the plant’s scheduled maintenance on the gas and steam turbines, auxiliary components, generators and control systems.

The company will also offer digital solutions, which run on its Predix platform, for the plant to manage asset performance and optimise operations. 

To protect critical infrastructure at the plant from malicious threats, GE will supply a specialised internet-connected sharing firewall application, the OpShield.

CELSE CEO Eduardo Maranhão said: “GE has the power generation services and digital expertise we need to reliably and securely operate the Porto de Sergipe plant for years to come.

“We are pleased this project incorporates the latest digital technology and security solution into our multiyear agreement with GE to help us ensure that our Porto de Sergipe plant operates at the highest levels of reliability and availability to support our power purchase agreements.”

The latest agreement follows the $900m order placed by CELSE with GE Power. The turnkey order which was received in last October, included the supply of GE’s 7HA gas turbines and transmission technology.

The plant will feature three of GE’s HA gas turbines, one steam turbine, along with a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and other related equipment.