The world needs a breakthrough to lower emissions from heavy industry, and a solution may be brewing in Japan. IHI Corporation, one of the country’s oldest manufacturers, and GE Vernova have teamed up in recent years to work to unlock the secrets of ammonia. Under their latest joint development agreement, signed on Christmas Day 2023, the companies will work for the next two years developing technology to combust ammonia in turbines that normally run on natural gas.
Ammonia’s Big Bang: GE Vernova and Japan’s IHI Aim to Unleash Ammonia Value Chain

Racing Toward Net Zero: How GE Vernova’s H-Class Turbines Are Helping Germany Transition from Coal to Gas, H2

It was in the southwestern German city of Stuttgart in the 1880s that Karl Benz devised what is considered the first automobile, the Benz Patent-Motorwagen No. 1. Today Stuttgart serves as the headquarters of automakers like Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, making the city synonymous with speed. So it’s fitting that Stuttgart is now one of the sites where the country is racing ahead of the pack in one of the 21st century’s biggest industrial challenges.
GE Vernova to collaborate with Duke Energy on nation’s first 100% green hydrogen-fueled peaking power plant
- Duke Energy’s DeBary plant is expected to become among the first commercially operational power plants to produce, store, and use green hydrogen for peaking power applications
- GE Vernova will support the full-scale integration of the gas turbine with green hydrogen including the upgrade of the existing GE 7E gas turbine installed onsite
Volusia, Florida - November 7, 2023 - GE Vernova’s Gas Power business (NYSE: GE) today announced that it will support the development of an end-to-end green hydrogen system that Duke Energy plans to build and operate at its DeBary plant, located in Volusia County, Florida near Orlando. When operational in 2024, the new hydrogen system will provide peak power to Duke’s customers at times of increased electricity demand.
The plant will be the first in the nation and among the world’s first power plants to produce and use green hydrogen to power a gas turbine for peaking power applications, when the grid requires additional electrical generation to meet demand. The production, storage, and end-use will be co-located at the DeBary power plant.
GE Vernova will support the integration of the turbine with green hydrogen, including the upgrade on one of the four GE 7E gas turbines installed at the site to accommodate hydrogen fuel blends of significant volumes. This will be the first commercial operation of this ability.
The DeBary Hydrogen Project will leverage Duke Energy’s installed solar array to operate electrolyzers to create green hydrogen, which will be stored on-site. Then, the green hydrogen will be used to power the gas turbine with up to 100% hydrogen fuel to support periods of peak demand for electricity.
“This first-ever, commercial operation of a gas turbine on 100% hydrogen will be a groundbreaking achievement for Duke Energy and for our industry. Our existing solar field and gas turbines at DeBary provide a unique opportunity for us to produce green hydrogen, store it onsite and then combust it to ensure reliable service when electricity demand is high,” said Regis Repko, Duke Energy’s senior vice president of generation and transmission strategy. “This combination of technologies will allow gas turbines to become decarbonized, dispatchable assets that support the addition of more renewables to our grid, and we appreciate the opportunity to collaborate on such an innovative project with GE Vernova and others.”
Demand for energy in the United States and globally is increasing rapidly, making it even more challenging to rely solely on intermittent, renewable energy to keep the power grid operational when the wind is not blowing, or the sun is not shining. However, hydrogen produced from excess renewable energy during optimal generation conditions and stored for later use by gas turbines can provide a unique mechanism to help ensure reliable, affordable, and more sustainable electricity generation.
“GE Vernova is thrilled to work closely with Duke Energy on this project, which is a perfect example of the interplay opportunities between renewable energy and efficient gas-fired combustion technologies and exhibits how gas turbines are an essential technology in the energy transition,” said Eric Gray, President and CEO of GE Vernova’s Gas Power business. “Multiple engineering and consulting teams located across GE’s sites worldwide will support the DeBary Hydrogen Project, perform any needed modifications to the gas turbine and work with Duke Energy to support the overall integration of the hydrogen fuels. We are honored to work with Duke Energy in this first-of-its-kind project.”
To support the project, GE began working with Duke Energy on a hydrogen plant readiness assessment in 2021. Following the installation of the electrolyzer equipment and hydrogen storage capacity on site, GE Vernova will execute modifications to the existing gas turbine infrastructure at the DeBary plant, including the fuel handling systems, valves and piping compatible with higher blends of hydrogen operation and up to 100% hydrogen (by volume). GE Vernova will also install the fuel skid with hydrogen blending, finalize control modifications, and support the overall integration of the project to support 100% hydrogen operation expected in 2024.
When fully operational, the converted 83 megawatt (MW) 7E gas turbine will have the ability to operate on natural gas, liquid fuel, 100% hydrogen, or a blend of natural gas and hydrogen providing the site with complete fuel and operating flexibility while maintaining plant reliability.
Located just north of Orlando, the Duke Energy Florida DeBary plant consists of a 74.5 MW solar power plant spread across an area covering the equivalent of almost 200 football fields and a 692 MW gas power plant for reliable reserve power. The power plant is powered by six of GE’s 7B gas turbines and four of GE’s 7E gas turbines.
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About GE Vernova
GE Vernova is a planned, purpose-built global energy company that includes Power, Wind, and Electrification businesses and is supported by its accelerator businesses of Advanced Research, Consulting Services, and Financial Services. Building on over 130 years of experience tackling the world’s challenges, GE Vernova is uniquely positioned to help lead the energy transition by continuing to electrify the world while simultaneously working to decarbonize it. GE Vernova helps customers power economies and deliver electricity that is vital to health, safety, security, and improved quality of life. GE Vernova is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., with more than 80,000 employees across 100+ countries around the world. GE Vernova’s Gas Power business engineers advanced, efficient natural gas-powered technologies and services, along with decarbonization solutions that aim to help electrify a lower carbon future.
GE Vernova’s mission is embedded in its name – it retains its legacy, “GE,” as an enduring and hard-earned badge of quality and ingenuity. “Ver” / “verde” signal Earth’s verdant and lush ecosystems. “Nova,” from the Latin “novus,” nods to a new, innovative era of lower carbon energy. Supported by the Company Purpose, The Energy to Change the World, GE Vernova will help deliver a more affordable, reliable, sustainable, and secure energy future. Learn more: GE Vernova and LinkedIn.
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GE Vernova | Americas Communication Leader, Gas PowerJennifer Sharpe
Duke Energy | Corporate CommunicationsGE Vernova secures two H-class combined cycle equipment orders with hydrogen capability to replace coal power plants in Germany
- EnBW awarded two hydrogen-ready combined heat and power plants in Heilbronn and Altbach/Deizisau, near Stuttgart, to an international consortium, led by GE Vernova
- The two H-Class gas turbine powered plants are expected to deliver nearly 1.4 GW of electricity and steam for the citizens, commerce and industry of Heilbronn and the larger Stuttgart area
- The two projects will support coal-fired power phase out while enhancing the reliability and stability of the German electricity grid
- GE Vernova’s advanced 9HA.01 gas turbines will be fueled initially by natural gas, with the targeted fuel switch to 100% by volume of hydrogen in the 2030s
Altbach/Deizisau, Germany ‒ November 6, 2023 ‒ GE Vernova’s Gas Power business (NYSE: GE) today announced it has secured two orders from EnBW to provide H-Class natural gas-fired combined cycle power generation equipment for EnBW’s Combined Heat and Power (CHP) power stations in Heilbronn and Altbach/Deizisau, near Stuttgart, the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The orders include the equipment, construction of the plants as well as software solutions, maintenance and services for ten years. GE Vernova will lead an international consortium for the projects, including the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) companies Bonatti and SENER. The projects will replace existing coal-fired plants with more efficient natural gas fired plants while enabling future fuel mix combustion of up to 100% by volume of hydrogen in the 2030s.
Heilbronn and Altbach/Deizisau efficient CHP plants are expected to deliver in total nearly approximately 1340 megawatts (MW) to the national grid, the equivalent needed to power approximately 2,4 million German homes1, as well as steam for district heating for the citizens, commerce and industry of Heilbronn and the larger Stuttgart area.
Each 680MW power plant will replace existing coal-fired units at Heilbronn and Altbach/Deizisau, with the new plants targeted to begin operation by the end of 2026. Switching from a coal plant to its gas equivalent can alone reduce carbon emissions by as much 60%, and lower emissions levels for other pollutants such as mercury, NOx, SOx and particulate matter, when using the most advanced HA gas turbines.
In conjunction with this announcement, EnBW today celebrated the commencement of construction work at the Altbach site at the presence of local authorities. The project is aligned to the European and national regulations in the decarbonisation path towards 2050 to promote district heating in achieving the goals of efficiency, energy sustainability, use of renewables, and reduction of fossil fuel use.
“Today we celebrated the start of the works with the local authorities, and our partners,” said Michael Class, Senior Vice President Generation Portfoliomanagement, EnBW. “These power plants will help to increase power supply security in Germany while continuing to phase out coal and expand a more reliable deployment of renewable energy resources in our country as we’ll be able to dispatch power quickly in response to grid fluctuations. In addition, the two power plants are designed to operate on up to 100% hydrogen by volume, in line with the national goal to deploy renewables and green hydrogen at large scale, but foremost in line with EnBW’s sustainability goals to be carbon-neutral by 2035. Others talk about hydrogen-ready power plants – we already started to built them. That makes the difference!”
“In a region with an increasing power demand due to planned coal-fired retirements, we are proud to work with EnBW, Bonatti and Sener, to support a lower-carbon future in Germany,” says Brice Raisin, Senior Executive Sales Leader of the GE Vernova’s Gas Power business. “Heilbronn and Altbach/Deizisau CHPs will be the first new GE Vernova’s H-Class combined heat and power plants to be installed in Germany, and they are expected to be among the most efficient and flexible, once they begin operation. We are committed to providing our advanced gas turbine technology to accelerate coal phase-out and increase the share of renewables as we work towards zero-carbon gas-based power generation with hydrogen.”
H-class fired combined heat and power plants can offer tremendous benefits to the residents of Stuttgart and the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. District heating application from gas-fired power plants is a good addition to heat pumps or solar thermal systems, which on one hand require a lot of space and can therefore often not be implemented in inner-city buildings and, on the other hand, heat from solar thermal systems is mainly only available in summer.
Each plant will be powered by a GE 9HA.01 gas turbine, an STF-D650 steam turbine, a W88 generator, a triple pressure with reheat Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) and GE Vernova's integrated Mark* VIe Distributed Control System (DCS) software solution to improve asset visibility, reliability, and availability while reducing operating and maintenance costs.
The agreement includes services and maintenance for ten years, as well as GE Vernova’s Digital business’ Asset Performance Management (APM) software. Using APM Reliability in the cloud, EnBW can gain access to powerful Digital Twin technology that allows for the use of Predictive Analytics to help reduce costs, achieve higher availability, and increase reliability and efficiency by amplifying the performance of the 9HA.01 once the power plants are operational.
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About GE Vernova
GE Vernova is a planned, purpose-built global energy company that includes Power, Wind, and Electrification businesses and is supported by its accelerator businesses of Advanced Research, Consulting Services, and Financial Services. Building on over 130 years of experience tackling the world’s challenges, GE Vernova is uniquely positioned to help lead the energy transition by continuing to electrify the world while simultaneously working to decarbonize it. GE Vernova helps customers power economies and deliver electricity that is vital to health, safety, security, and improved quality of life. GE Vernova is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., with more than 80,000 employees across 140+ countries around the world. GE Vernova’s Gas Power business engineers advanced, efficient natural gas-powered technologies and services, along with decarbonization solutions that aim to help electrify a lower carbon future. GE Vernova’s Digital business is focused on providing a suite of software products and services to customers aiming to accelerate a new era of energy by electrifying and decarbonizing the energy ecosystem through intelligent and efficient data analytics, monitoring, and management.
GE Vernova’s mission is embedded in its name – it retains its legacy, “GE,” as an enduring and hard-earned badge of quality and ingenuity. “Ver” / “verde” signal Earth’s verdant and lush ecosystems. “Nova,” from the Latin “novus,” nods to a new, innovative era of lower carbon energy. Supported by the Company Purpose, The Energy to Change the World, GE Vernova will help deliver a more affordable, reliable, sustainable, and secure energy future. Learn more: GE Vernova and LinkedIn.
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GE Vernova debuts first LM6000VELOX package aiming to improve installation & commissioning schedule and costs
- LM6000VELOX* package is built on the philosophy of GE Vernova’s LM2500XPRESS* and is factory assembled into simplified modules for a faster and easier site installation and commissioning of LM6000 gas turbines
- Available in both simple and combined cycle configurations for 50 and 60 Hertz customers, the new modular plant solution can provide reliable energy supply, ideal to bring stability to the grid when needed
- LM6000VELOX will be installed at Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)’s Johnsonville Aeroderivative Plant in middle Tennessee in 2023
Atlanta, GA – October 31, 2023 - GE Vernova’s Gas Power business (NYSE: GE) today unveiled the first LM6000VELOX* package solution which will be installed at Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)’s Johnsonville Aeroderivative Plant in Middle Tennessee. The new LM6000VELOX package aims to reduce the installation and commissioning schedule of LM6000* aeroderivative gas turbines by up to 40%, saving up to 4,000 labor hours, with an expected consequent reduction of installation time and total installed costs.
“This technology will be the first of its kind for TVA’s fleet of natural gas plants,” said Justin McBath, Sr. Project Manager of the Johnsonville Aeroderivative Combustion Turbine Plant project. “We have received six of the 10 total units that will be operating at Johnsonville, with final delivery expected in December 2023. These units will help us quickly meet demand during peak energy usage and will supplement solar generation on days when sunshine is limited.”
With an installed base of nearly 1,200 LM6000 gas turbines across approximately 60 countries, these units are well-known in the power generation industry for their quick start time of down to 5 minutes to full power, high cyclic life helping to complement intermittent power from renewable sources, and operational flexibility which can help stabilize the grid and reduce the risk of electricity supply shortages. In addition, the turbine in a Singular Annular Combustor (SAC) configuration has the capability to burn up to 100% hydrogen by volume, which can reduce or eliminate CO2 emissions from power delivered by a gas turbine.
“With more renewables coming online every day, operators like TVA plan carefully to ensure grid reliability while delivering, cheaper, and lower emitting power for their end users,” said Clive Nickolay, CEO of GE Vernova’s Gas Power Aeroderivative business. “We are continuously committed to product innovation and competitiveness that delivers fast, flexible, and more sustainable power in a safe environment. With a scheduled 90-day package installation in a simple cycle configuration, our new LM6000VELOX package is expected to reduce installation and commissioning schedule of our LM6000 gas turbines by up to 40%, saving up to 4,000 labor hours, with consequent lower costs. These enhancements incorporated in the new package aim to reduce site construction delays for power generation utilities, EPC’s, and other industry stakeholders.”
GE Vernova’s LM6000VELOX package is built on the philosophy of GE Vernova’s LM2500XPRESS to enhance simplicity and speed of installation. The new package was developed at GE Vernova’s Manufacturing Center in Veresegyház, Hungary, adopting GE Vernova’s most advanced lean methodologies and its benefits include:
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- Enhanced modularity in package mounted air filter including simplified structure for air filter
- Base mounted generator & gearbox which reduces foundation labor
- 50% reduction in number of accessories shipped to site with reduced lifts
- Reduced lube oil flushing with pre-flushed with interconnects and polishing kit
- Improved drive train alignment procedure cutting alignment time in half
- Improved maintainability and accessibility with platforms and ladders
- Improved Cable tray configuration
GE Vernova’s LM6000VELOX package is available in both simple and combined cycle configurations, as either a DLE or SAC (water injected) combustor configuration, and for both 50 and 60 Hertz segments.
*Trademark of GE Vernova
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About GE Vernova
GE Vernova is a planned, purpose-built global energy company that includes Power, Wind, and Electrification segments and is supported by its accelerator businesses of Advanced Research, Consulting Services, and Financial Services. Building on over 130 years of experience tackling the world’s challenges, GE Vernova is uniquely positioned to help lead the energy transition by continuing to electrify the world while simultaneously working to decarbonize it. GE Vernova helps customers power economies and deliver electricity that is vital to health, safety, security, and improved quality of life. GE Vernova is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., with more than 80,000 employees across 140+ countries around the world. GE Vernova’s Gas Power business engineers advanced, efficient natural gas-powered technologies and services, along with decarbonization solutions that aim to help electrify a lower carbon future.
GE Vernova’s mission is embedded in its name – it retains its legacy, “GE,” as an enduring and hard-earned badge of quality and ingenuity. “Ver” / “verde” signal Earth’s verdant and lush ecosystems. “Nova,” from the Latin “novus,” nods to a new, innovative era of lower carbon energy. Supported by the Company Purpose, The Energy to Change the World, GE Vernova will help deliver a more affordable, reliable, sustainable energy future with security. Learn more: Learn more: GE Vernova and LinkedIn.
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