GE Seals Deal to Boost Port Harcourt Refinery

Chris Uba

GE’s Power Services has disclosed that it signed a multi-year service agreement (MYA) with GEL Utility Limited (GELUL), a joint subsidiary of Engro Corporation of Pakistan and Genesis Power and Energy Solutions.

The deal was to support power generation requirements of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s wholly owned subsidiary- the Port Harcourt Refining Company in Nigeria.

The 12-year MYA includes the provision of parts, spares, repairs and services over two major inspection cycles for three units of GE’s TM2500 aeroderivative gas turbines earlier installed at the plant site in March 2015.

The agreement is expected to strengthen uninterrupted power supply to the Port Harcourt Refining Company; improve plant efficiency and help ensure long-term, reliable operation of the facility’s GE’s TM2500 aeroderivative gas turbines; refinery currently has capacity to produce up to 210,000bpd.

“As an integrated energy company with a constant focus on commitment for greater efficiency in our investments and reduction of our costs without compromising the safety and production goals of our customers, we have been working with GE for several years to ensure optimum performance of the power generation assets installed at our various plants,” the Chairman, Genesis Energy Holding, Akinwole Omoboriowo.

“We are pleased with this unique transaction experience with GE, which will help our esteemed customer, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, to accomplish the scheduled outages of our assets at the Port Harcourt Refining Company, while also increasing significantly our savings in maintenance throughout the duration of the agreement”.

GE’s Power Services offering would feature the expanded capabilities on GE’s TM2500 fast power solution assets installed at the plant. GE’s TM2500 aeroderivative gas turbines enable governments, utilities, and businesses around the world to fulfil their generation requirements within days.

“Sustaining gas turbine performance in these present times of ever-shrinking budgets can be a difficult challenge. As oil prices are a determinant of the country’s growth pattern; this service agreement is crucial to help improve power supply for the constant production of one of the nation’s leading facilities,” the Executive Sales Director for GE Power Services, Sub-Saharan Africa, Narendra Asnani said.

“I’m therefore very proud we’ll be able to provide the right tailored services solutions to help reduce GELUL’s operational and maintenance costs, while providing operational and technical support for the next twelve years.”
The state-owned refinery which specialises in the refining of crude oil into petroleum products would have an optimal supply of the power it needs to run its plant reliably and efficiently. GE‘s TM2500 fast power solution represents some of the most reliable distributed power units available.

That means plant operators would not face frequent interruptions and instabilities due to technical problems related to faulty equipment or an unstable electricity grid.

The units would also provide the ability to frequently and rapidly ramp up to meet load and demand fluctuations. With production capacity currently at approximately 210,000bpd, Port-Harcourt refinery which is also the country’s largest operational refinery needs a constant supply of power with no room for downtime to the facility and its operations.

Last month GE announced that it was investing more than $200 million in the Aeroderivative business over the next three years across new product introductions and services capabilities.