GE Vernova Technology For Ireland Power Plant Modernization Project
Electricity Supply Board (ESB) of Ireland and GE Vernova have announced a life extension and modernization project for the Dublin Bay power plant, aimed at enhancing performance, reliability, increasing output, and supporting Ireland’s energy transition goals in line with ESB’s Net Zero by 2040 carbon emissions strategy.
Under a new contractual service agreement, GE Vernova will implement its GT26 high efficiency (HE) upgrade along with its SEMIPOL technology for static excitation equipment and startup frequency converter. This life extension project is expected to be completed in 2026.
Commissioned in 2002, the Dublin Bay facility currently generates up to 415 MW using a single -shaft GT26 gas turbine.
The life extension project is expected to deliver up to 30 MW of additional power, which is the power needed to supply the equivalent of approximately 30,000 homes annually; efficiency gains of up to 1.8% at baseload, leading to 5% carbon dioxide reduction; improved grid stability through advanced excitation and frequency conversion systems; and lower carbon intensity, supporting ESB’s decarbonization strategy and enabling future use of hydrogen fuel blends.
“Although Dublin Bay is already one of our most efficient plants, we saw an opportunity in having an even more important role in delivering our net zero carbon emissions strategy by further enhancing its performance, reliability, and sustainability,” said Arkadiusz Galant, Dublin station manager at ESB. “Our life extension project in 2026 will help us to deliver more power allowing us to provide electricity for Irish households over the next decade while being more efficient with lower emissions and enabling possible future hydrogen blends.”
The Upgrade
Introduced in 2019, the GT26 HE upgrade integrates advanced technology from GE Vernova’s F and H class fleets, including additive manufactured parts and innovations in aerodynamics, materials and combustion. The performance improvement that the HE solution can deliver is attributable to technology breakthroughs across every major component of the GT26 gas turbine — turbine, compressor, and combustor — that helps decrease fuel costs while increasing full-load output and extend maintenance intervals, the company said.
