GE Vernova and Saudi Arabia’s Ash Sharqiyah Operations & Maintenance Company (ASHOMCo) have finished three preliminary engineering design (FEED) studies aimed at cutting carbon emissions from three Saudi Arabian cogeneration plants.
These studies evaluated the potential of pre- and post-combustion technologies to lower emissions from plants producing up to 920 megawatts of electricity and 1,400 tonnes of steam per hour.
The three cogeneration plants, powered by GE Vernova’s 7E and 7F gas turbines, underwent a hydrogen compatibility assessment.
This included an evaluation of performance improvements and cost savings associated with potential carbon capture, utilization, and storage systems.
These plants, which supply electricity to 920,000 Saudi households, could significantly benefit from these upgrades.
ASHOMCo executive manager Rob Hayes stated: “Our participation in the GE Vernova-led studies underscores our dedication to accelerating advanced solutions for potentially retrofitting the existing power plants to meet stringent carbon emission standards, a vital step towards producing more sustainable energy.
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“GE Vernova led the full-scale integration of the study with the ultimate goal of lowering the net carbon emissions of the three power plants.”
GE Vernova’s FEED studies explored the ability of the gas turbines to operate on a blend of natural gas and hydrogen, with hydrogen potentially comprising up to 32% of the fuel volume.
The studies outlined necessary modifications to the existing combustor systems to accommodate this fuel blend, thereby enhancing the sustainability of the plants’ operations.
Additionally, the studies investigated retrofitting options for the plants with technology capable of capturing up to 95% of CO2 emissions.
The integration of GE Vernova’s exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system was identified as a method to reduce the overall cost of the carbon capture facility by over 7% compared to traditional carbon capture and storage installations without EGR.
Under the analyzed site conditions, an additional 6% annual reduction in operational costs for carbon capture was projected.
