Companies operating in Nigeria have resorted to generating own power given the lack of reliable, regular electricity supply from the national grid. This is why Nigeria’s Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals Limited is leveraging on General Electric Power’s technology to fire its plants.
The petrochemicals company has successfully executed GE’s 6B Performance Improvement Package (PIP) upgrade on the first two out of six 6B gas turbines at the petrochemical facility in Eleme, Rivers State.
A gas turbine is a combustion engine that can convert natural gas or other liquid fuels to mechanical energy. This energy then drives a generator that produces electrical energy. It is electrical energy that moves along power lines to homes and businesses.
The Eleme upgrade increased Indorama’s plant output by 15 percent per gas turbine, more than doubling the expected increase of 6 percent. The upgrade will help extend the interval for combustion and hot gas path inspections, reducing overall maintenance costs. In addition, this project is expected to increase power plant availability of up to 3,960 hours over 16 years.
“The growth in production is directly proportional to an increase in power needs and operational costs”, said a senior management official of Indorama Group of Companies. “Due to growing power demand in Nigeria, our objective is to expand our production. GE’s technology will help us mitigate costs while ensuring there is enough power to support increased production at a lower cost.”
Read also: DisCos can save N18bn yearly co-sharing assets with minigrid operators – report
At Indorama’s Eleme plant, GE successfully installed the technology upgrade. The turbines achieved an increased output of 5 megawatts (MW) per unit, exceeding the expected benefits of 2.5 MW. In addition, combustion and hot gas path (HGP) inspections which were separately carried out at 12,000 hours and 24,000 hours respectively will both take place at 32, 000 hours. Over 16 years, this new schedule will save Indorama the cost of carrying out 21 separate combustion and four HGP inspections and adding 3,960 hours of production.
“At GE, we’re always focused on understanding our customers’ needs so we can tailor the right innovative solutions to increase the power plant’s operational performance and profitability,” said Elisee Sezan, CEO for GE’s Gas Power businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa. “In 2009, GE launched the 6B Performance Improvement Package, featuring advances in materials, coatings, sealing and aerodynamics derived from its F-class technology to increase output and efficiency.”
Sezan said that GE’s continued investments in upgrades for mature fleets are helping power producers and industrial operators, such as Indorama, remain competitive in today’s dynamic marketplace.
Today, PIP is installed on over 200 units globally, and it has become the standard configuration for new 6B gas turbines. GE has been operating in Nigeria for over 40 years, with more than 750 employees, 90 percent of who are Nigerians. The company has businesses spanning across key sectors including oil and gas, power, healthcare and renewables.
