GE Vernova has announced that the first of three blocks of Taiwan Power Company Nan Bu Construction Organization’s Hsinta power plant, powered by GE Vernova 7HA.03 combined cycle equipment, has entered operation. The new generating unit, installed capacity 1.3 GW, paves the way for a gradual replacement of the coal-fired units at the Hsinta site, says GE Vernova.
The Hsinta power plant in Kaohsiung is seen by TPC as a key facility in Taiwan’s energy transition and in line with Taiwan’s Renewable Energy Development Act (REDA) energy policy, centred upon transitioning from nuclear power and reducing reliance on coal.
The other two Hsinta combined cycle blocks are expected to start operation in phases during 2025 and 2026, bringing the combined cycle installed capacity up to nearly 4 GW.
GE Vernova worked in consortium with local supplier, CTCI Corporation, to engineer, construct, and commission the combined cycle block. Each block of the plant includes two GE Vernova 7HA.03 gas turbines with H65 hydrogen cooled generators, two heat recovery steam generators, and one GE Vernova STF-D650 steam turbine with H65 hydrogen cooled generator.
Ramesh Singaram, President and CEO, Asia of GE Vernova’s Gas Power said: “We are committed to support Taiwan’s power development and economic growth, helping to drastically reduce current coal power generation and to achieve up to 50% of the energy mix sourced from natural gas by 2025. TPC evaluated our HA combined cycle equipment as the best technology balancing effectively power output, efficiency, flexibility and maintainability.”
The 7HA.03 gas turbine also currently has the capability to burn up to 50% by volume of hydrogen when blended with natural gas.
GE Vernova says it has played a significant role in supporting Taiwan’s energy and infrastructure development since 1961. By 2026, gas power plants employing GE Vernova technology are projected to have an installed capacity of over 10 GW.
Other recent successes reported by GE Vernova for its HA gas turbines, include orders for three 7HA.03 and two 7HA.02 gas turbines to be installed at Qurayyah Independent Power Plant (QIPP), Saudia Arabia. Interestingly, QIPP “can potentially be configured with post-combustion carbon capture systems”, says GE Vernova.
The orders were placed by Técnicas Reunidas and Orascom Construction, which have formed a 50-50 joint venture to undertake the EPC contract for the QIPP Expansion Project, a carbon capture ready 3 GW combined cycle power plant.
Saudi Arabia plans to generate half of its electricity from gas by 2030 and half from renewables, with the aim of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2060.
Meanwhile, in Georgia, USA, Oglethorpe Power, owned by 38 member electric co-operatives, has selected 7HA.03 gas turbines for its new Monroe County combined cycle power plant. GE Vernova is expected to supply two such 7HA.03 machines, two H84 hydrogen-cooled generators, two triple-pressure with reheat HRSGs and two STF-D600 steam turbines with H65 hydrogen-cooled generators. The gas turbines will be manufactured in GE Vernova’s Greenville, South Carolina, facility.
7HA gas turbines to be manufactured in the Greenville factory are also the focus of a partnership between Duke Energy and GE Vernova aimed at meeting the growing power needs of “advanced manufacturing, data centres and population growth.”
The partnership includes a plan to advance specific projects for up to eleven 7HA gas turbines consistent with Duke Energy’s integrated resource plans, and is in addition to eight 7HA gas turbines previously secured by Duke.
The agreement is made possible, says GE Vernova, because of the previously announced expansion of its Greenville facility to accommodate historic demand for gas turbines from new and existing customers. The expansion, which is part of a nearly $600 million investment by GE Vernova in its US manufacturing over the next two years, includes a nearly $300 million investment in its gas power business in the USA.
