GE in $330-mln Mexico power deal

GE has signed an agreement worth USD 330 million with Macquarie Capital and Techint for work on the Norte III power plant in northern Mexico, the US Energy conglomerate said in a statement on Thursday.

The deal includes two 25-year contracts, one for operation and maintenance, the other a contractual service agreement. GE Power Services will equip the 907-MW combined-cycle power plant with four of its 7F.04 gas turbines and two Toshiba steam turbines, allowing it to run on its Fleet360 service platform.

“Macquarie continues to look for opportunities to leverage its global expertise in infrastructure, energy and project financing to address highly complex situations and develop creative solutions that work for all stakeholders, and such was the case in Norte III,” said Rob Kupchak, Americas Head of Infrastructure and Energy for Macquarie Capital. “GE was chosen to accompany us in this important project because of its reliable technology and full-service solution.”

According to the statement, the company will also implement its Predix-based asset performance management and operations optimisation software “to apply advanced data analytics to predict and eliminate unplanned downtime, and improve power plant productivity.”

“Our total power plant services solution provides greatly improved risk mitigation, while offering capacity and efficiency guarantees tailored to meet Macquarie-Techint consortium’s needs,” said Terrence Schoenborn, general manager of GE Power Services’ Global Operation & Maintenance business unit.

Once operational, Norte III will provide power for 500,000 homes in northern Mexico. No date has been given for the expected date of completion.

Macquarie and partner Techint acquired the power project from Abengoa in September 2017.