GE Secures 7HA Combined Cycle Gas Equipment Order from ENEVA to Support Grid Reliability and Energy Transition in Brazil

ATLANTA — GE (NYSE: GE) today announced it has secured a second order for its H-Class gas turbine technology from Eneva, the largest private natural gas operator in Brazil, which is turning to GE’s advanced HA combined cycle technology to expand the Azulão II Reserve Power Plant and support the ongoing energy transition in Brazil. With more than 75% of its installed capacity being provided by renewables in Brazil, the new plant will deliver up to 590 megawatts (MW) to enable reliable electricity grid stability and support additional renewable energy growth. The new power plant, consisting of a 7HA.02 gas turbine, an STF-A650 steam turbine, an H65 and an H53 generators, and a triple pressure reheat Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG), is expected to achieve commercial operation in 2027.

Renewable generation in Brazil is expected to grow 17% of capacity from today’s 159 GW to 186 GW in 2032—an addition of 27 GW in the next ten years. With this rise of variable renewable energy resources, aligned to Brazil’s announced long-term objective to halve carbon emissions by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050, the grid infrastructure is expected to continue to require the stability provided by gas turbine technology. In addition to proving reliable supply, the emissions of gas turbines can be further reduced using hydrogen fuels and carbon capture technologies in the future.

Eneva selected GE based on a long-established relationship between the two companies, which is built on more than half a dozen of GE 7F gas turbines reliably powering Eneva’s power plants in Maranhão, Brazil for almost a decade.  In October 2022, GE announced an order from Eneva to provide a GE 7HA.02 gas turbine for Azulão reserve power plant, built next to this newly announced power plant. The construction of the original first reserve power plant began in late 2022, targeting the start of commercial operation by 2026. Both plants will be well-positioned to support renewable energy growth in Brazil by the end of the 2020s.

“GE’s highly efficient, reliable and advanced H-class combined cycle plant can provide the needed flexible power to support Eneva’s isolated natural gas production operations and Brazil’s renewable-rich grid, utilizing these valuable natural resources to provide lower-emissions electricity to Brazilian homes and businesses across the country,” said Dave Ross, President & CEO for GE Gas Power in the Americas.  “This project marks the second GE 7HA.02 gas turbine for Eneva’s Azulão power plant and we’re honored that Eneva has once again selected GE’s highly efficient and flexible technology for Eneva’s power generation complex. The new plant will help significantly reduce the carbon footprint of Eneva’s power generation portfolio as this new capacity becomes operational and coal power plants are phased out by 2040.”

The addition of a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and steam turbine/generator will increase Eneva Azulão II plant’s energy efficiency by diverting thermal energy from being released to the atmosphere to power the steam turbine and generate up to an additional 230MW. The steam turbine will join one of over 85 STF-A650 units in commercial operation in 18 different countries across the globe.

This project is GE’s second H-Class combined cycle plant in Brazil.  For the first project at Port de Sergipe thermal plant, GE provided a turnkey solution, including power generation equipment, full engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of the gas power plant and grid construction, as well as the nearby associated grid interconnection systems. The plant, operated and maintained by GE, features three 7HA.02 gas turbines powering three H65 generators, an STF-D650 steam turbine powering a 60WT23E-110 generator, and triple pressure reheat HRSGs. With a capacity up to 1.5 gigawatt (GW), Port de Sergipe is one of the largest gas plants in Latin America. It achieved commercial operation in 2021, and it was acquired by Eneva in 2022.

GE has been present in Brazil more than 100 years, helping power approximately 30% of the energy produced in the country and about one-third of all energy generated throughout Latin America.