GE’s Powering Efficiency COE Solutions Help Aluminium Company Hindalco Reduce Power Generation Costs

BADEN, SWITZERLAND—May 9, 2017—Following on the heels of its Powering Efficiency Center of Excellence (COE) launch in March, GE (NYSE: GE) has announced an agreement with the world’s largest aluminium rolling company Hindalco Industries Ltd. (Hindalco) to upgrade generation equipment at its Renusagar Captive Power Plant located in Uttar Pradesh, India. The steam turbine modernizations provided by GE will help increase the plant’s efficiency by up to 6 percent and reduce the cost of power generation by approximately $15 million over five years.

“We are pleased to collaborate with GE on this project to demonstrate the feasibility of upgrading our existing steam turbines, which will allow us to increase the output, efficiency and performance of our existing fleet of plants,” said S.N. Jajoo, chief operating officer, Hindalco Industries Ltd. (Renusagar, Renukoot and Mahan). Power is among the largest cost components in the manufacturing of aluminium—approximately 33 to 35 percent of the total cost per ton of aluminium manufacturing is attributed to power expenses.

“Reducing the cost of power generation is relevant for an aluminium company like Hindalco, one of Asia’s biggest primary aluminium companies,” said Ashok Ganesan, managing director—GE Power India Limited and leader of GE’s Powering Efficiency COE. “Power costs are a major contributor to Hindalco’s overall production expenditures. GE has a long-standing relationship with Hindalco, having supplied steam turbines, boilers, generators and advanced steam path upgrades over the last 30 years. We are proud, our robust portfolio of hardware upgrades features breakthrough power generation capabilities that will help Hindalco meet its cost targets.”

With the upgrade, GE will modernize two steam turbines at the Renusagar Captive Power Plant, targeting turbine output increases of up to 4 megawatts each—improving the efficiency of the plant and extending the life of the units by approximately 20 years. The upgrades also will lower the cost of production and improve reliability and availability at the plant.

The global demand for primary aluminium is expected to be robust, growing to around 4.5 percent. In India, aluminium demand is poised for 6 to 8 percent growth per year.

“India’s power generation sector is at a unique point in its evolution—growing renewables in a country where energy security has meant a heavy reliance on coal. To meet future challenges, significant upgrades and the introduction of new technologies to raise the efficiency and flexibility of coal-based power generation solutions, help with baseload generation and balance the grid as renewables come online are an absolute necessity. To meet its growing demand for electricity, India needs a comprehensive review of its subcritical technology dominated by coal-based power plants. GE’s Powering Efficiency COE showcases the ability to ensure real-time answers to modernize power generation infrastructure,” continued Ganesan.

GE’s Powering Efficiency COE brings together cross-business experts in its energy businesses to apply a total plant hardware and software solution approach to boost the efficiency of the world’s new and existing coal-fired power plants and to significantly reduce their emissions.

GE’s recent Ecomagination study found that existing coal plants can become 4 percent more efficient with more than half of the improvement coming from turbine and boiler updates, and 1.5 percent more efficient by applying the latest, innovative digital solutions. A 4 percent increase in average global coal-based power plant efficiency is estimated to reduce CO2 emissions from these plants by 11 percent. 

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the “GE Store,” through which each business shares and accesses the application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com

About GE Power

GE Power is a world leader in power generation with deep domain expertise to help customers deliver electricity from a wide spectrum of fuel sources. We are transforming the electricity industry with the digital power plant, the world’s largest and most efficient gas turbine, full balance of plant, upgrade and service solutions as well as our data-leveraging software. Our innovative technologies and digital offerings help make power more affordable, reliable, accessible and sustainable.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.gepower.com. Follow GE Power on Twitter @GE_Power and on LinkedIn at GE Power.

About GE’s Power Services

GE’s Power Services, headquartered in Baden, Switzerland, delivers world-class solutions for our customers across total plant assets and their operational lifetimes. This organization supports 2,800+ customers worldwide with an installed base of 28,000+ power generation assets, which includes other OEMs, and taps into the Industrial Internet to improve the performance of our solutions over the entire life cycle through the power of software and big data analytics.