Supporting Vietnam’s sustainable energy future with the right gas turbine solution

GE has developed HA gas turbine products in both 50 Hz and 60 Hz configurations capable of achieving over 63% on a combined-cycle, net-efficiency basis at ISO conditions. The 7/9HA gas turbines (7HA ~60 Hz, 9HA ~50 Hz), share architecture and technology features to maximize performance and accumulate shared experience while minimizing risk.

Our HA gas turbines represent the best technology from the F and original H-Class products, with higher firing temperatures, evolved materials, air cooled parts, and new advanced combustion systems that help achieve both economy and efficiency of scale.

Bringing reduced CapEx and OpEx to Vietnam

Here’s why I think our HA fleet of gas turbines are the right solution for meeting Vietnam’s growing energy needs: First, they are cost-effective and feature state-of-the art efficiency, a powerful combination that can substantially lower capital expenditure (CapEx) and operating expenditure (OpEx). The HA turbines can also operate on a broad range of fuels, a flexibility that helps lower OpEx even further since plant owners can source fuel from the most competitive LNG providers. This is a critical factor in Vietnam as the offshore gas from the Blue Whale and Block B gas-to-power projects, have varying compositions of fuel that include mixture of N2, CO2, and other inert gases. GE’s HA technology employs DLN 2.6e combustion technology that can combust a variety of gas across a modified Wobbe index of +/- 15%.

Why is GE the right partner to service Vietnam’s energy needs?

We have the latest gas power technology that checks all the boxes: efficiency, fuel flexibility, operational flexibility, and speed. Our HAs feature a >16% ramp rate on combined-cycle basis and turn down to lower loads to less than 20% on combined cycle—even lower with the steam turbine decoupled. These factors are critical to managing a renewable penetrated scenario like Vietnam’s, where the combined cycle needs to operate with a high degree of flexibility, turn down to lower loads in the evening or during peak renewable supply, all this with highest points in efficiency at both base load and part loads.

What makes the economics tilt even further toward GE's HA technology is the overall lifecycle operational cost. Because the components are prepackaged—fitting together like Legos—customers can reduce their project development schedule.

Proven gas technology to help solve the energy challenges in Vietnam

GE’s HA gas turbines are not only state-of-the-art, they’ve been tried and tested. Now the fastest-growing gas turbine in its class, the HA fleet of over 40 commercial units has accumulated more than 650,000 operating hours. Which means that these combined-cycle plants are proven, running, and delivering flexible and profitable power to our energy customers in Vietnam!

The first 9HA.01 gas turbine achieved commercial operation at the Électricité de France (EDF) Bouchain plant, which was recognized with a world record as the world’s most efficient combined-cycle power plant, delivering 62.22% on a net combined cycle basis while producing more than 605 MW of electricity. Today’s HA turbines continue to build on these successful platforms to achieve higher efficiencies and help realize a decarbonized future by safely combusting over 50% hydrogen.