GE Wins Grand Coulee Generator Upgrade Project ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 15, 2002--The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation has awarded GE Power Systems a $3.8 million contract for a generator refurbishment project at the Grand Coulee Powerplant in Washington State. Located at Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River, the Grand Coulee hydroelectric power plant is the largest power production facility in North America, generating an average of 21 billion kWh annually.
It consists of three power plants - the Left, Right and Third - that supply electricity to the Pacific Northwest. GE will supply two identical 125 MVA, 13.8 kV generator stator cores and windings for the refurbishment project. One stator core will be installed and commissioned by GE at the Left Powerhouse G7 unit. The second generator core is planned for future installation at another powerhouse unit.
This project represents the first use of a modern-design, single-turn bar winding at Grand Coulee Left Powerhouse and is expected to significantly improve generator reliability and maintainability. The equipment will be built at GE Hydro in Lachine, Quebec, Canada, and will begin shipping to site in January, 2003. Installation by GE Installation and Repair Service of Salt Lake City, Utah, is expected to be completed by the start of the third quarter 2003. The unit is scheduled to be returned to commercial operation in February, 2004. In a concurrent project at Grand Coulee for the Bureau of Reclamation, scheduled for completion in 2007, GE is also replacing 18 Francis turbine runners at the Left and Right powerhouses.
The Grand Coulee Dam, the centerpiece of the Columbia Basin project, was completed in 1942. The Left and Right powerhouses, with nine generator units each, were put into service between 1941 and 1950. The hydropower plants are used as peaking facilities by the Bonneville Power Administration.
About GE Power Systems
GE Power Systems (www.gepower.com) is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation technology, energy services and management systems, with 2001 revenues exceeding $20 billion. The business has the largest installed fleet of power generation equipment in the global energy industry. GE Power Systems provides equipment, services and management solutions across the power generation, oil and gas, distributed power and energy rental industries.
--30--jah/at*
CONTACT: GE Power Systems
Dennis Murphy, 770/859-6948
or
Masto Public Relations
Inge Parlo, 518/786-6488