Alstom Adds 850-Megawatt Plant and GT26 Upgrade to Installed Thai Power Base

---

Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--In addition to the 7,000 megawatts (MW) of power capacity that Alstom (OTC:ALSMY) (Paris, France) has installed in Thailand over 40 years, the company is now set to build and supply equipment for a new, gas-fired power station, as well as upgrade an existing combined-cycle plant.

Alstom has signed a $303 million contract with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) for the 850-MW CCGT plant, on which it will work in a consortium with Sumitomo Corporation (OTC:SSUMF) (Tokyo, Japan) and will supply two GT26 gas turbines, the turbo generators, heat recovery steam generators, steam turbines and the distribution control system.

The power plant will be Alstom's first combined-cycle plant contract with EGAT and the first combined-cycle plant in the world to feature the company's upgraded GT26 gas turbine.

The upgrade at Ban Boat Khlong Daan, in the Bang Bo Samut Prakan province, will involve the existing GT 26 to the MXL2 turbine blade and components. The 350-MW, combined-cycle power plant will be the first GT 26 unit in Thailand to receive this upgrade, which is scheduled for installation in 2014. Thailand currently has seven commercially operational GT26s.

The upgrade contract is an extension to the existing operation and maintenance contract, which expired at the end of March. As part of the $121 million contract, Alstom will station permanent employees on the site to operate the power plant and perform all planned and unplanned maintenance at the site.

"This upgrade will not only increase the capacity, efficiency and operational flexibility of the power plant, but it also will extend intervals between major inspections," said Han-Peter Meer, the senior vice president of Alstom Thermal Services.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.