Every day, the weather gets a little warmer; fans, air blowers and air conditioners run a little longer, and demand for electricity rises just a little more. GE and its partners are racing against the sun and rising temperatures to bring 2.6 gigawatts (GW) of new power to the grid by the end the summer.

The good news for millions of Egyptians and countless industrial firms and companies is that GE and its partners are already winning the race — the current project execution represents a record time for GE on a project of this scale.

Already, the company has added 1.84 GW of new power to the nation’s grid in just seven month since work on the Egyptian Power Boost Program began. Additionally, work will be ongoing until the project’s completion by the end of the summer.

The full 2.6 GW of electricity — from 46 turbines distributed across 14 locations nationwide will pro-vide enough power to meet the electricity needs of an additional 2.5 million Egyptian households during some of the hottest months of the year .Industrial manufacturers, too, will benefit from the increased electricity reliability that the new power generating capacity is bringing.

In May of this year, the company’s 9E heavy-duty gas turbines delivered the first phase of power to the grid. Today, seven months following contract signing, 10 9E units have begun commercial operation, adding 1250 megawatts to the grid. 9E gas turbines lead the industry in fuel flexibility. The turbines are capable of operating with more than 52 types of fuels and have the ability to switch fuels while running on full load. They also provide Dry Low NOx combustion, making them environmentally friendly. An additional two 9E gas turbines are expected to come online later this summer.

Egypt Powers Up as Hot Summer Months of Ramadan Approach

Egypt has struggled with a serious energy crisis in recent years, with parts of the country, in 2014, experiencing as many as six power cuts a day for up to two hours at a time as the demand for electricity hit a record high of 27,700 megawatts daily - 20% more than the country's power stations could provide. According to GE, there is "good news for millions of Egyptians and countless industrial firms and companies" as GE and its partners "race against the sun and rising temperatures to add more gigawatts (GW) of new power to the grid. More about GE in Africa in this BRIEFING.

Additionally, GE’s TM 2500+ and LM6000 aeroderivative gas turbines are generating today 590 megawatts of power to the nation with an additional 540 megawatts that are currently in process of going online. GE’s TM2500+ and LM6000 mobile aeroderivative gas turbine generators have the capability to provide full power within 10 minutes, and are ideal for providing a base-load bridge to permanent power installations or for generating backup power in support of plant shutdowns. The large Generator Step-up Transformers (GSU's) used to connect power to the grid were built in record time and were a critical part of the project.

Upon completion of the Egyptian Power Boost Program, there will be more than 130 GE gas turbines across the country generating 11.68 GW of power to the grid — representing more than 30% of total electricity demand and providing enough power for 10.5 million Egyptian homes.

As additional projects continue to be developed around electricity use in Egypt, GE will support by offering both innovative technology and financing, which will include a focus on combined cycle gas turbines and renewables. Our ongoing efforts will support the government’s vision to meet electricity demand which is expected to grow on an average of 5.2 GW annually through 2022.

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