GE to supply gas-fired turbines to Malaysia
A 1.2-GW power plant planned for Malaysia will use two gas-fired turbines manufactured by General Electric (GE), the US company stated March 24.
General Electric said it secured an order from a consortium that includes Mitsubishi Corp. to provide equipment for the planned Pulau Indah power plant, without disclosing the deal's value.
The International Monetary Fund said Malaysia experienced a deep recession in 2020, but, assuming the pandemic is brought under control, its economy could expand by 6.5% this year. Due to strong economic growth over the last few years, Datin Paduka Norazlina Zakaria, director of the Malaysian entity developing the plant, said that not only had energy demand increased, but so too had the pressure to decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
With that in mind, the director said it was “crucial” for the plant to incorporate technology like GE’s that can provide cost-effective performance while also cutting back on total fuel used to generate electricity.
A government directive in Malaysia calls for a 45% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030 across all parts of the power generation sector. Ramesh Singaram, the CEO of GE’s gas power division in Asia, said the gas turbines commissioned for the project were “engineered from the ground up to be extremely efficient and flexible to help lower emissions.”
GE will provide support services for the plant for 21 years. Commercial operations are planned for a 2024 start.