SONGAS PLANTS TO PRODUCE MORE POWER AFTER GE DEAL

In Summary

The MYA ensures provision of total plant solutions thereby helping Songas to offer long-term, reliable operation of its power plant.

Dar es Salaam. GE’s Power Services business and Songas have signed a multiyear service agreement (MYA) to upgrade equipment at Songas’ Ubungo Power Plant in Dar es Salaam that will see the latter increasing power output, the companies announced yesterday.

The MYA ensures provision of total plant solutions thereby helping Songas to offer long-term, reliable operation of its power plant.

The upgrades will help Songas increase the efficiency and the plant’s capacity at the Ubungo plant by approximately 10 megawatts (MW). Today the power plant provides nearly 25 per cent of the power in the country.

“Songas owns six gas turbines gas turbines which it has been operating at Ubungo Power Plant since 2004” said the Songas managing director, Nigel Whittaker, noting that the company is hopeful that the new initiative with GE will help increase the efficiency and reliability of the plant throughout the duration of its agreement.

Under the terms of the deal, GE will upgrade three of the four LM6000 gas turbines in the fleet from the LM6000PA to the LM 6000PC, expected to increase the output of the units from 38 megawatts (MW) to 43 MW each—and reaching output levels of up to 46 MW with GE’s optional SPRINT technology. 

The eight-year MYA, which also includes maintenance and repairs of the gas turbines, will help Songas to increase the efficiency of the Ubungo plant to around 41 per cent—approximately a 3 per cent improvement.

“As the Government of Tanzania continues to pursue the expansion of generation capacity and extend the capability of its power grid, upgrading existing power plants to improve operation and efficiency is a must” said Elisee Sezan, general manager, GE Power Services for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Aero derivative gas turbines provide the ability to frequently and rapidly ramp up to meet load and demand fluctuations—a concern for power grids that rely heavily on renewable generation. They also offer the reliability and flexibility needed to bring power to people around the globe that otherwise may not be able to access it.

The Citizen