GE Turbines to Power New, 180-Megawatt Hydroelectric Plant on China's Meigu River BEIJING, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 22, 2004--GE Energy has received a contract of US$7.8 million to supply three turbine-generator sets for the Liuhong Hydropower Station, a new facility to be built on the Meigu River in Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China.
Liuhong will be the first hydropower plant on the Meigu River, a major tributary of the Jinsha River which flows into the Yangtze, the longest river in Asia and third longest in the world. The plant will have an installed capacity of 180 megawatts, and is expected to supply 797 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year for the China power grid.
The GE contract was awarded by the Chengdu Hydroelectric Investigation and Design Institute of State Power Corporation (CHIDI).
Owner of the new power plant is Sichuan Meigu River Hydropower Development Ltd., which is comprised of China Hydroelectric Engineering Consulting Co., China Sino Hydro Corporation, China Power Engineering Consulting Corp. and CHIDI.
GE will design, manufacture and supply three Francis hydro turbine-generators, each with an output of 60 megawatts. The scope of the contract also includes valves, spare parts, and supervision of the installation of the three units.
The equipment will be manufactured by GE Hydro Asia Co., Ltd. (GEHA) in Hangzhou, China. This company was formed in 2003 when GE Energy acquired majority ownership of Kvaerner Power Equipment Co., Ltd. (Kvaerner Hangfa) of Hangzhou, one of the leading suppliers of hydropower generation equipment in China.
The first turbine-generator unit and related spare parts will be shipped from Hangzhou in May of 2005 and the last unit will be shipped in May of 2006. The first unit is scheduled to start commercial operation by September 30, 2006, the second unit by December 30, 2006 and the third unit by March 30, 2007.
GE has long been active in China's hydropower industry and is a major supplier for the Three Gorges project, among others in the country. We are pleased that our technology continues to be selected for projects like Liuhong, and we look forward to future opportunities in the promising hydro industry in China, said Lung Taiping, managing director of GEHA.
Following the Liuhong project, four other hydropower plants are planned for the Meigu River, with a total installed capacity of 457 megawatts. GE Energy is a world leader in the supply of hydro turbines, generators and related electro-mechanical equipment for the hydropower production industry. Capabilities include complete water-to-wire solutions for new hydroelectric plants and refurbishment and services for existing plants.
About GE Energy
GE Energy (www.gepower.com) is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technology, with 2003 revenues of nearly $18.5 billion. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GE Energy provides equipment, service and management solutions across the power generation, oil and gas, transmission and distribution, distributed power and energy rental industries.
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