Baden — GE Gas Power (NYSE: GE) today announced the completion of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE)’s temporary reserve power plant located at GE’s Manufacturing Center in Birr, approximately 30 km west of Zurich. The 250-megawatt (MW) plant, powered by eight of GE’s trailer-mounted TM2500 mobile aeroderivative gas turbines, will help meet power demand, help prevent power shortages and enhance the critical reliability of the country’s energy supply. GE completed the installation of the equipment in only 26 weeks.
“After the connection to the power grid was completed at the end of February 2023, the tests for commissioning have also been completed successfully and the power plant is able to supply electricity. If required. The power plant will provide a source of emergency power for the electricity grid, and one whose emission levels can be reduced using blends of hydrogen fuel in the future,” said Christian Verhoeven, Chief Technology Officer – Switzerland, GE Gas Power. “The scope and nature of this project are extraordinary: GE built not just the power plant but also supporting infrastructure and orchestrating the work of more than 200 people. On the peak in January, we had approximately 500 people working on this project, that was executed safely and in record time.”
As a company with strong commitment to and presence in Switzerland, GE worked closely with SFOE to raise the current generation capacity during energy-demanding winter seasons.
The temporary reserve power plant installed in Birr has dual fuel capability for both gaseous and liquid fuels. GE’s TM2500 gas turbines can run on several different fuel sources, depending on the combustion system configuration, including hydrogen, biogas or biodiesel and synthetic fuels/SAF (sustainable air fuels) produced with renewable energy. The TM2500 is capable of burning up to 85% hydrogen by volume of hydrogen when blended with natural gas and GE is working to expand this capability in the future to further lower carbon emissions from operations for the TM2500 fleet.
The 34-MW units were engineered for flexibility and quick dispatch. These units can reach full power in 5 minutes and have a smaller footprint for sites where space is limited. GE’s TM2500 is derived from jet-engine technology powering the world’s airlines. With more than 20 years of experience and over 300 units installed around the world, GE’s TM2500 is a proven solution for providing a baseload bridge to permanent power installations, or for generating emergency power in the wake of natural disasters, plant shutdowns, grid instability or in isolated locations.
GE Gas Power’s European Headquarters is located in Baden, and GE’s Manufacturing Center in Birr, inaugurated in 1960, provides maintenance, testing, and repair solutions globally.
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