GAS, STEAM & HYDRO TURBINES ENGINEERING HUB

General Electric Co. is nearing a deal with Caithness Energy with a potential value of more than $1 billion to supply equipment for multiple power plants in the U.S. GE would provide as many as six of its new H-class gas turbines, along with steam turbines and other equipment, the companies announced Wednesday. The pact, covering plants to be developed in 2017 and 2018, is expected to become final by the end of this month. A deal would be a boon for GE as Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Immelt reorients it around industries such as energy, aviation and oil. The Boston-based company shed most of its finance and consumer operations while bulking up equipment manufacturing through agreements including the $10 billion acquisition of Alstom SA’s power division. The so-called HA turbine, a Winnebago-sized unit that is the company’s most efficient, is crucial to GE Power as global population growth drives demand for electricity. GE committed $2 bil...

GE  announced an order for a single shaft engineered equipment package (EEP), with a high-efficiency 7HA.02 gas turbine at its heart, to power the Ares EIF’s Birdsboro Power combined-cycle power plant in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania , USA. With the help of GE’s latest power generation technology and financing from GE Capital, Birdsboro Power is expected to produce 488 MW upon commercial operation in 2019. “We are pleased to bring this new plant online, which will help continue the shift to cleaner, more cost-effective power in the PJM region,” said Mark Voccola, a partner in Ares EIF, within the Ares Private Equity Group. “The abundance of low-cost natural gas in Pennsylvania means GE’s large, high-efficiency 7HA.02 technology is a great fit, supporting the region’s increased use of natural gas for power generation.” The 7HA.02 incorporates a 14-stage advanced compressor with 3D aerodynamic foils with superfinish, three stages of variable stator vanes and field-replacea...