KUALA LUMPUR: GE Gas Power is accelerating Malaysia's decarbonisation effort with the launch of the world's first operational 9HA.02 heavy-duty gas turbine power plant in Pasir Gudang, Johor.
With a 1,440-megawatt combined cycle gas power, Track 4A power plant will support the region's goals for transitioning to a more sustainable energy future powering up to three million people in Malaysia.
The power plant began its commercial operation for the owner, Tenaga Nasional Bhd's subsidiaries - Southern Power Generation (SPG) and TNB Power Generation Sdn Bhd - last Friday.
GE Asia (project execution) general manager Christophe DuFaut said Track 4A demonstrated the company's capability to expedite the government's trajectory to reduce carbon emission in the power generation with gas.
"We believe the gas turbine technology fits well in tandem with the development of RE as we in both RE and gas power markets.
"This is an excellent technology complementary with the combination of both gas turbine and RE that can accelerate decarbonisation by lowering emission for the power generation," he said at a virtual tour and panel discussion after launching Track 4A here today.
DuFaut said GE had taken the lead for the future in energy and power generation with the inauguration of Track 4A.
"This in tandem with the move from coal to gas. We accelerate and deliver strong decarbonisation with a gas turbine combined cycle of less than half carbon mission compared to coal power generation.
"It is a big step for decarbonisation at an affordable cost-effective rate. Gas is an important source for GE's decarbonisation effort, which is alternative or complementary power generation of RE," he said.
This power plant features GE's first 9HA.02 combined-cycle power plant, which was safely constructed with Taiwanese engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) partner, CTCI Corp (CTCI).
The plant consisted of two generating blocks, each equipped with a highly efficient gas turbine, a steam turbine, a generator, and a Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) from GE.
Under the terms of a 21-year agreement, GE will provide services and digital solutions to improve asset visibility, reliability, and availability of the Track 4A plant.
SPG managing director Rizal Nordin said the company's focus was to provide sustainable and reliable power continuously to the grid for the next 30 years.
"The plant serves us, being the most efficient in the world currently, with the fast pace movement of technology."
GE Gas regional sales director Muhazmi Mohamed said it provided a range of heavy-duty gas turbine with about 70 units install base throughout Malaysia.
"In pursuit of decarbonisation, the government has introduced the Clean Air Regulation in 2014 to reduce gas turbine emission by 75 part per million (ppm) under the requirement.
"We work together with plant operators in Malaysia to do some kind of modification for existing units (power plants) to reduce their current emission limit with the average of 100 ppm and above to meet 75ppm as per the government's requirement," he said.