Improved GE 7E 3-series gas turbine to generate 88 MW power

Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. will install a GE 7E 3-series gas turbine, formerly known as 7EA, adjacent to Montana-Dakota’s coal-fired Heskett Generating Station near Mandan, North Dakota. Operating on pipeline natural gas, the 7E 3-series will generate 88 MW of power when it begins commercial service in 2014.

Since introducing the 7E 3-series gas turbine more than 40 years ago, GE has continued to update and improve the technology, positioning it to meet the changing needs of today’s energy industry. The 7E 3-series has demonstrated durability and highly reliable starting capability in nearly 1,200 operating units with more than 29 million hours of service across a wide range of applications. 

The 7E 3-series gas turbine features low emissions. Operating with GE’s Dry Low NOx combustion technology, the 7E 3-series can achieve industry-leading emissions, enabling users to meet today’s increasingly stringent air quality standards.

Paul Browning, president and CEO Thermal Products, GE Power & Water said the 7E 3-series gas turbine can come to full speed in less than 10 minutes which allows it to excel in peaking power applications, also making it an excellent fit for the quick addition of supplemental power to compensate for the intermittency of renewable energy.