‘GE’s hydrogen fueled gas turbines can lead energy transition in Bangladesh

General Electric (GE) hosted a seminar highlighting the innovative capabilities of GE’s future independent energy company – GE Vernova – that will ensure flexible, affordable and reliable power for Bangladesh.

The US multinational conglomerate organised the seminar titled ‘Powering Smart Bangladesh’ at a city hotel on Tuesday.

The central theme of the seminar – leading a new era of clean energy – focused on using GE’s advanced gas turbine technology, capable of burning blends of hydrogen and natural gas, to lead the energy transition in Bangladesh and decarbonise it further.

GE has more than 120 gas turbines globally that are running on between 5 per cent (by volume) and 100 per cent hydrogen, and have accumulated more than 8.5 million operating hours.

In a move to lead the global energy transition, GE announced in 2022 the spin-off of GE Vernova as a purpose-built business, that highlights the company’s commitment to sustainability and elevating its position as a key player in the energy industry that empowers climate action in all markets, says a press release.

Speaking as chief guest, power secretary Md Habibur Rahman said, “We are prioritizing introduction of policy interventions that can support the development of clean energy infrastructure in Bangladesh and contribute towards economic growth of the country by effectively meeting the power demand in future.”

He said Bangladesh is keen to invest in technologies that are already tested and can help the country reduce carbon emissions quickly.

“Switching to hydrogen fuel for power generation in future is one such example, where global companies like GE, having tremendous experience in the field, can collaborate with us in the sustainable development of Bangladesh’s power sector.”

Bangladesh Power Development Board chairman Md Mahbubur Rahman said as Bangladesh is already a power surplus nation with 100 per cent electricity coverage, the effort is now on to supply reliable electricity in an uninterrupted manner.

“We are deploying latest technologies and digital solutions to make the power infrastructure more robust, and I see GE Vernova, through its comprehensive portfolio, playing a crucial role in taking this journey forward. GE has been collaborating with us for many years and continues to offer its services across multiple domains to uplift the energy value chain in Bangladesh. GE Vernova can also help us in meeting the Smart Bangladesh Vision in future,” he added.

Deepesh Nanda, CEO GE Gas Power South Asia said, “GE remains committed to leading a new era of clean energy in Bangladesh. Today, GE’s technology is powering multiple power plants in the country and our power services are helping the power plant owners to use the fuel efficiently while generating electricity at lower cost.”

GE will continue to offer a comprehensive portfolio of powering solutions distinguished by our commitment to quality, productivity, cost effectiveness and safety standards.”

“We will continue to strategically position the record-setting HA technology, capable of operating on a wide range of hydrogen concentrations, for various upcoming high-capacity power projects in Bangladesh. On the other hand, we are offering GE’s wide portfolio of heavy-duty and aeroderivative gas turbines to meet specific powering requirements, such as balancing the grid and improving reliability of the power plant. This will allow Bangladesh to shift gears and adopt the latest powering technology which is future ready. Alongside, as Bangladesh diversifies its energy mix, GE’s hybrid power solutions can create an ecosystem in Bangladesh to supply electricity on round-the-clock basis in future,” added Deepesh Nanda.

Another highlight of the seminar was a thought provoking leadership panel discussion that invited Sazzadur Rahman, managing director of Ashuganj Power Station Company Ltd, Mohammad Hossain, director general of Power Cell of power, energy & mineral resources ministry, Jeffrey Goldmeer, Global Hydrogen Value Chain Leader of GE Power, and Deepesh Nanda to share their views around power plant efficiency, fuel dynamics, balancing renewable power at the grid level, policy framework to invite long-term investments in Bangladesh etc, added the press release.