Plan ahead!
Let’s work together to make your next outage your best one
Your next outage could be your most important one. That’s why it’s critical to get it right the first time, and that requires planning far in advance. GE’s power plant outage services team has broad experience handling both planned and unplanned outages, and we’re ready to work with you to make sure you have everything planned and ordered for your next outage.
600+
Major outages (HGP+) executed in 2021, a 13% increase YOY
30%
Quality escapes declined by 30% despite increase in outages executed
Improved collaborative approach to on-time delivery.
Up to 30%
Reduction in outage cycle time
Improved field service reports
Outage safety
Safety is our top priority!
We’ve been making a number of safety-related improvements in our outage field services processes to reduce safety incidents and improve the quality of all outages. Take a look through our flipbook to learn more about our lessons learned and steps we’ve taken to make your next outage as safe and efficient as possible.
Staying competitive for the future
An outage transformation journey
In the spirit of continuous improvement, GE has implemented Live Outage, which includes many outage process improvements to help make our customers’ outages as quick, safe and efficient as possible— from a new digital platform and ready-to-install material packaging to improved training and competency mapping. Collectively, these outage improvements can help reduce cycle time by up to 30%.
Digital platform
Bringing the digital world to your outage
Improving outage execution
Our new digital outage platform was developed along with experts from the field to improve the field execution experience for our customers. This new platform includes a weatherproof, touchscreen-based, digitized system that replaces a more antiquated, paper-based approach—which not only reduces the risk of mistakes or rework, it also speeds up the outage process for customers, helping them get back in business more quickly.
- 50 successful pilots for 7F / 9F and planning 186+ outages in ‘23/’24
- 75% of 7F major inspections in 2022 used the digital platform
The digital platform is currently available on 9F/6F/7E/9E gas turbines, as well as generators and D11 steam turbines.
Material flow
Reduced wing-to-wing time from 23.3 hours to 15.4 hours
Partnering with repair centers and manufacturing facilities, we have greatly improved packaging and material presentation for our teams in the field, leading to a safer, more efficient experience for our teams—and ultimately, our customers.
Key improvements:
- Reduced turbine shroud crate size from 32 to 8 shrouds per crate, which reduces the crate’s footprint and allows for on-deck staging.
- Organized the shrouds in the order they need to be installed on the turbine, reducing risk of error.
- New clamshell design allows for reduced movement time and less risk of injury.
Core crews
Keeping core teams of experts together from job to job
Our teams across the globe share a passion for fieldwork, modern technology, continuous improvement and customer satisfaction. Building upon our 120+ years of legacy, core teams of experts are working and travelling together from job to job, continuously learning and making contributions that extend far beyond an outage, in order to create a repeatable superior customer experience.
Tooling
New innovations in tooling
Standardizing 7F specialty tools
Milwaukee kit: Reducing slips, trips and falls
Increasing quality and productivity
We have applied internal and external innovation to our existing toolset to help ensure that our GE team members can perform their job more efficiently and safely, with better quality and productivity.
Key improvements:
- Cordless tools reduce the need for thousands of feet of pneumatic hoses, increasing safety and mobility and resulting in a more efficient execution.
- Hydraulic ramps used to separate components from the turbine case—reducing labor, saving time and increasing safety.
Sequencing
Creating a better process flow
Outage sequencing is a core component in reducing cycle time. Taking learnings from best-in-class outages, we have changed the sequencing of many outage tasks to improve the outage “flow” from beginning to end. In the process of re-sequencing, we identified challenges with certain tasks and introduced new tooling and processes to further shorten the outage duration and reduce man hours. The result? Our outage sequencing is now standardized to make it repeatable globally, vastly reducing variation in execution approaches.
Outage express kits
Get all the consumable parts you need
When it comes to your consumable parts, you need to plan ahead, but you don’t always know how many parts you will need in advance. GE Gas Power has a solution that puts everything you need at your fingertips: The outage express kit. Available for HGP or MI outages on any 7FA configuration, the express kit contains every consumable part you could need for your outage—over 300 parts in total. All you have to do is order the kit, use what you need, and that’s it! Once the kit is returned, GE will inventory what was used and bill accordingly. Make sure to order your outage express kit as soon as possible before your outage, as the number of kits available is limited!
With the outage express kit, you will benefit from:
- Cost reduction: Site management team no longer needs to plan consumables
- Reduced inventory cost
- Reduced risk of consumables-related outage delays
Timing counts
Planning your outage
Explore our interactive timeline to review important deadlines in the outage planning process. Your goals are our goals, so no matter what state of planning you’re in, or what you’re hoping to achieve with your specific outage, we’re ready to serve as your outage partner.
- Planning
- 24+ months
- 18+ months
- 15+ months
- 12+ months
- 6+ months
- Unplanned
Things to consider
When to start planning
Your unit is due for an outage in the coming years. You’re starting to plan your plant outage and procedures, what work needs to be done and what you’d like to accomplish. For customers not under services contracts, you’re thinking through who will support your outage and where you need to go for parts and repairs. It’s not time quite yet to get all the details squared away, but you definitely want to get ahead of the game.
Engagement
What to expect
Your GE representative can serve as your outage concierge from Day 1, helping you think about the best way to scope your plant shutdown and how to get the most out of this important chapter in your power asset’s life. GE offers holistic support of your outage with services, parts, repairs, upgrades and overall outage planning to ensure everything runs smoothly from start to finish.
As the OEM we are continuously improving our methods and resources for the future of planned outages. Explore some of the advancements in robotics, automation, software, and smart tooling solutions being developed today at GE’s Gas Turbine Outage Simulator lab in Greenville, South Carolina. Check out our technologies that we’ll be deploying just in time for your next plant outage.
By engaging early with GE as your outage planner, you’ll have access to:
- Full engineering reviews and a complete walk through to review scope
- Thorough reviews and planning for equipment upgrades
- Necessary parts lists, created and ordered for on-time delivery
- Software and controls enhancements customized specifically for your site
- The absolute best support available to meet your outage plans
Diving deeper
Want to learn more?
Things to consider
Upgrades and uprates
You may be considering upgrading your units to improve performance or maintenance intervals. What are your options and how will they impact your plant? GE can assist you with planning upgrades right alongside your outage management to help you get the most out of your equipment. Want to get live updates and follow along while your power plant outage is being performed? With the GE Power Customer Portal, you can.
Engagement
What to expect
Is your gas or steam turbine reaching its full potential? Is it optimized for the market it’s in today? Timing upgrade opportunities with your next planned outage provides a great opportunity to return your unit to full service and make sure it’s working better for you than ever before. If you operate a combined-cycle plant, have you also thought about the balance of plant… generator, HRSG, and steam turbine?
In addition to plant turnaround management, discover our range of upgrade opportunities—from control systems to performance enhancements to GE’s OpFlex solutions for your gas turbine, generator, steam turbine, and HRSG, which help tackle a variety of operating issues for increased reliability and flexibility. We also have controls specialists that can work with you to identify modifications or upgrades that may be required.
Contact your GE account manager to kick off a discovery session to explore opportunities to improve your O&M cost or market competitiveness. We can help you get more information tailored to you and your needs, and we’ll work right alongside you to get you the outcomes you need.
Further reading
Want to learn more?
Gas turbine upgrade selector
Explore our available gas turbine upgrades.
Flexibility
Gas plant flexibility
Availability
Efficiency
Rotor upgrades
Generators
Parts
Things to consider
Parts: The big stuff
At this point you’re probably wondering if you have everything you need for your power plant outage. This includes capital parts (either new or refurbished), which should be ordered at least 12+ months in advance of your scheduled outage. You need an inventory of your capital parts, and we can help.
Engagement
What to expect
Meeting early with your outage provider and conducting a full inventory walk down to fully prepare your existing inventory is a great way to make the most of your existing resources. And for what you don’t have in stock, GE can help fill in the gaps with a continuously replenished inventory of over 10,000 individual parts, and a reliable supply chain.
With certain components, particularly steam, HRSG, and legacy B- and E-class parts, the earlier you get started, the better. Ready to schedule an outage planning meeting with us? Contact your GE Parts Sales Manager and Account Manager to discuss your parts inventory and needs.
Further reading
Want to learn more?
GE parts brochure
Explore our available gas turbine parts.
My Power Parts Store
Explore our available power parts store.
HRSG parts
Explore our available steam turbine parts.
Generators
Things to consider
Repairs made easier
What repairs will be required during your outage? No matter what might be needed, GE has a global footprint of cost-effective, best-in-class repair solutions. And we have a new approach to outage parts repairs—driven in large part by feedback from customers like you—to improve how we customize and implement your specific repairs.
Engagement
What to expect
We can offer repair capabilities directly at your site or ship them to one of our high-tech repair technology centers. We’ve streamlined our repairs solutions to eliminate steps, costs, and above all, time. With GE, you’ll always have the most advanced repair capabilities at your fingertips, and we’re continually developing innovative solutions.
Further reading
Want to learn more?
Explore our repairs solutions
Discover our global network of service centers
Generators
Things to consider
The smaller stuff
With your plant outage coming up, it’s time to bring everything together and focus on the details. You need consumable parts support, and we have a team of experts that can help you make sure all your consumable parts are accounted for.
Engagement
What to expect
Consumable parts are usually last on the list, but can also be one of the trickiest components of any power plant shutdown. Our team recommends performing these steps before your outage:
- Review your past outage reports and recommendations
- Deep dive into your Bill of Materials
- Determine your needs down to the smallest bolts and screws
…or you can have GE do it for you. Our specialists use their field engineering expertise combined with your unit’s unique history to generate a customized parts list, making sure your part numbers are up to date, and prioritizing your needs--especially if you have a limited budget. With your outage nearing, you’ve got enough to think about.
Further reading
Want to learn more?
My Power Parts Store
HRSG inspection services
HRSG spare parts
Generators
Things to consider
It's almost here...
You've made it to the home stretch before your planned outage. What now? It’s time to make sure you've got everything you need for the outage. Not only can our outage specialists make sure you're ready to go, we offer a range of services that can be performed during your outage—just ask!
Engagement
What to expect
It's almost time for your outage—are you ready? You've finalized your site mobilization, established shifts, determined the schedule, roles and prep. Do you have your parts? If you forgot something, we have a huge refurbished party inventory, with ATS, and SMI parts are also available. Your GE account manager can help you ensure that you've got everything you need and ready to go, and you can always log into My Dashboard to track part delivery and services during your outage.
Further reading
Want to learn more?
Generators
Things to consider
Unplanned outage
It’s an unfortunate fact of life—not every outage can be planned. Luckily, if you forgot to order a part, had an issue pop up during an outage, or are facing a forced outage or plant shutdown, we’re here to help. Not only can we support last-minute outage requests, we can help you with additional parts from our refurbished part pool. Our field technicians are backed by a global network of technical, repair, and analytics experts that can respond quickly to unplanned events. Contact GE Power today for more information on plant outage management and planning.
Webinars
Continuous improvements in outage planning and execution
We don’t sleep, so you can!
Remote outage support
When the power goes out, there’s no time to lose. That’s why the GE Vernova’s Gas Power One Field Services Remote Outage Support team is available around the clock, providing expert help when you need it most. This highly experienced group of field engineers has expertise in both GE and Alstom gas and steam equipment, and they can provide remote services including:
- O&M services, repairs and installation of gas and steam generators, controls, and auxiliaries
- ServiceNow ER case and FieldVision support
- Outage planning, field procedures, instructions, and inspections
- Parts identification, technical drawings, TILs, and BOMs
- Mentoring technical field advisors
- Cross-functional field productivity projects
"
There is real value in being able to talk directly to an expert when you need technical help, someone who stays with you and tracks the situation until it’s resolved…We solve problems, we don’t just take notes and pass it along.
Remote Outage Support Manager
John Millacci
GE Power Customer Portal
A personalized view of your operations
When you can see your data all in one place, speed and productivity follow. The GE Power Customer Portal lets you access information about your assets in a centralized platform that provides:
- Outage metrics and improved outage visibility to help execute outages on time and on budget
- Easy access and dispositioning of Technical Information Letters from GE
- A reports module for an aggregated view of all your equipment’s outage and repair reports
- Visibility into current parts orders and repair status in select shops
- Access to all GE O&M manuals and knowledge documents
- Self-service plant configuration
New features
We’ve added some new features to the Customer Portal to help improve your online experience and provide help when needed, including:
Registration is simple. Just enter the equipment serial numbers you’d like access for, and we’ll verify your registration within 24 hours.
Want to learn more?
Plan your next outage with GE today
