As per the agreement, GE will provide total plant solutions to help in improving the power plant’s availability, reliability and output reducing its operational costs.
GE will provide planned maintenance for the three existing GE GT13E2 gas turbines as well as one GE steam turbine. It will also provide MXL2 upgrades to the power plant to help increase its capacity by up to 30MW.
SPDC Gas general manager Dr Philip Mshelbila said: “At optimal performance, the Afam VI plant can provide up to 15% of the total national grid-connected electricity, this agreement will ensure we reach this performance objective and deliver much needed power to the national grid.
“Since its commissioning in 2008, Afam VI Power Plant has delivered more than 25.97 million Megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity into the Nigerian market and won an award by the United Nations for reducing carbon emissions through environment- friendly operations.”
GE said that the upgrades on the turbines would deliver a combined-cycle efficiency increase, thus reducing CO2 emissions.
The power plant generates electricity required to power over 3 million Nigerian homes at peak performance.
GE’s Power Services business Sub-Saharan Africa general manager Elisee Sezan said: “We have a long history of collaboration with Shell Petroleum, which has the largest footprint of all the international oil and gas companies operating in Nigeria, having supported the plant operations on power generation since its inception in 2008.”
“With this latest agreement, we are working to bring improved performance and enhanced efficiency to their operations.”
GE said that its solutions will extend inspection intervals for the gas turbines reducing maintenance and repair expenses.
