BOSTON, Mass. — GE disclosed that it discovered an oxidation issue with a single blade component that is expected to impact some of its gas turbines.
Russell Stokes, CEO of GE Power, said, “GE engineers and teams identified a fix and have been working proactively with our customers on a case-by-case basis to quickly return impacted units to service and mitigate any future issues.”
The component is only used in stage-one blades in GE’s highest-efficiency turbines—HA and 9FB, one of the HA’s predecessors and a legacy fleet that comprises less than one percent of the Company’s global gas turbine fleet.
“In all industries and new technologies, developing and launching products at this scale and complexity involves fine-tuning and adjusting the technology,” Stokes said. “We always strive to jointly solve technical issues with our customers as they arise and are committed to delivering on our products.”
Later in the week, Seeking Alpha reported that French power utility EDF shut down a GE turbine at its Bouchain power plant for a month due to a turbine blade issue that has shut down similar plants in the U.S.
“The [Bouchain] plant will be closed until Oct. 22 to proceed with controls and maintenance as advised by GE,” EDF says.
GE shares fell 4 percent after EDF said it took the action over the weekend, following a failure of a turbine blade at Exelon Corp’s Colorado Bend plant in Texas, according to Reuters. GE and Exelon said last week that four such turbines in Texas were halted when one of them had a blade failure.
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