GE Vernova, launched as an independent entity from GE on April 2, 2024, is a global leader in the electric power industry. It specialises in designing, manufacturing, delivering and servicing technologies in the areas of electrification and decarbonisation of the electric power system across the power sector value chain. The products and services offered by the company assist utilities in creating a reliable and sustainable electric power system and enhancing electrification.
Business segments
GE Vernova operates across three business segments – power, wind and electrification. Power encompasses the design, manufacture and servicing of gas, nuclear, hydro and steam technologies, aimed at providing reliable and flexible power solutions. Notably, it has a combined installed capacity of 2,206 GW, including the largest global installed base of gas turbines, totalling 886 GW.
GE Vernova’s wind energy segment comprises wind generation technologies, including onshore and offshore wind turbines and blades. This segment is growing on the back of increasing demand for renewable power generation solutions. Currently, GE Vernova maintains an installed base of 117 GW of onshore wind and 1 GW of offshore wind turbines.
The company’s electrification segment covers grid solutions, power conversion, solar and storage solutions (collectively referred to as electrification systems) and digital technologies (collectively referred to as electrification software). These components are critical for electricity transmission, distribution, conversion, storage and orchestration from generation to consumption points. This segment has benefited from growing demand for modernisation, enhancement of the reliability of grid infrastructure, and increasing demand for new products, solutions and services.
GE Vernova in India
GE Vernova has a substantial presence in India, across generation, transmission and distribution. The company has five Technology and Engineering Centers focused on advancing research, development and innovation in new technologies and solutions. Additionally, the company operates 11 manufacturing sites that are undertaking local production and generating employment. The company’s workforce in India comprises over 10,000 employees, including approximately 3,700 engineers
and technologists.
Power
GE Vernova Gas Power has an installed base of over 200 gas turbines across utilities and industrial segments in India. Over the years, the company has significantly increased its local sourcing in the gas power segment, expanding from small-machined parts to critical power plant equipment including electrical (transformers, cables, switchgears, control panels), mechanical (ventilation, insulation, piping), engineered (pumps, valves, skids) and machined (airfoils, castings) equipment, as well as raw materials (forgings, steel).
In the gas power business, BHEL-GE Gas Turbine Services Private Limited, a joint venture company of GE and BHEL, established in 1997, provides aftermarket services for gas turbines. Last year, GE Vernova (as GE) extended, for the fourth time, its technical assistance and license agreement with BHEL, which includes long-term cooperation for the engineering and manufacturing of heavy-duty gas turbines in India. GE Vernova Gas Power has also signed an MoU with NTPC to explore hydrogen co-firing blended with natural gas in GE Vernova’s 9E gas turbine installed at NTPC’s Kawas gas power plant in Gujarat.
GE Vernova has nearly 5 GW of operational hydro projects and another 7 GW under execution. In July 2022, GE Vernova commissioned the 180 MW Bajoli hydro project, which supplies power to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, India’s first airport powered entirely by renewable energy.
In the steam power business, GE Vernova has in-house capabilities in the country to provide services for steam turbines and generators from various original equipment manufacturers. The company has successfully managed over 250 outages, and delivered reliable, affordable and decarbonised power by executing five steam turbine retrofits and several boiler and ESP retrofits, and providing several critical parts for the installed fleet. Additionally, the company provides technology solutions to reduce emissions from coal-based plants. It has nearly 88.3 GW (executed and under execution) of emissions control projects. Overall, the company has executed 11 GW of turbine islands
and 32 GW of boiler projects nationwide in India.
Wind
GE Vernova has installed ~4 GW of onshore wind capacity in India that generates enough energy to power the equivalent of over 9 million homes. The company’s wind turbine 2.7-132 is designed to deliver optimum performance at the low wind speeds prevalent in India. These turbines are designed at the technology centre in Bengaluru. The company’s LM Wind Power business, which has two manufacturing plants in the country, recently achieved the milestone of manufacturing its 50,000th wind power blade, flagged off at its manufacturing facility in Vadodara.
Established in 2007, the company’s LM Technology Centre of India, based in Bengaluru, specialises in engineering activities focused on research and development of blade components. The company has also developed a capability centre for blade design, development, manufacturing, transport solutions and service engineering. The centre offers comprehensive end-to-end solutions in innovative blade technology for both domestic and global customers.
Electrification
In the electrification segment, GE T&D India Limited has a comprehensive product portfolio from medium voltage to ultra-high voltage (up to 1,200 kV). The company has five manufacturing sites located across the country, and caters to every stage of the power supply chain, providing a range of products and solutions. GE T&D’s offerings include high voltage products (air-insulated switchgear, gas-insulated switchgear and transformers), automation solutions (control and relay panels, SCADA systems, monitoring and diagnostic devices, asset performance management), and turnkey projects (air-insulated substations, gas-insulated substations, high voltage direct current systems, static synchronous compensator solutions, renovation of old
installed bases, and operation and maintenance services).
GE Vernova’s electrification software has been widely adopted by utilities. The company manages more than 100 load despatch control centres at the transmission and distribution level in the South Asia region, providing technologies that help transmission and distribution utilities manage their grids effectively, 24×7.
Besides, GE Vernova’s Advanced Power Electronics Manufacturing Centre is located in Chennai. It manufactures variable frequency drives catering to industries such as oil and gas, marine, mining, metals, power, water, and general industry sectors for both Indian and global customers. The Engineering Development Center in Chennai is equipped with facilities for rigorous product testing.
GE Vernova’s Renewable Hybrids factory in Vallam, Chennai, specialises in manufacturing products that facilitate integration of renewable energy sources into the grid. These solutions support energy transition by advancing solar and energy storage solutions, contributing to sustainable energy practices in India and beyond.
Net-net, the global push towards decarbonisation is driving the adoption of cleaner energy sources and technologies that reduce carbon emissions. GE Vernova’s range of products and services are designed to meet the new and emerging needs of the power sector. With the growing focus on decarbonisation, uptake of specialised products catering to the demand of utilities is a given. Besides, the need for energy security and reliable power supply is expected to push the demand for specialised products in the electrification segment.
