GE Energy has signed a multi-year service contract for more than $45 million with Dubai Aluminium Company Limited (Dubal), one of the world’s largest producers of premium quality aluminum.

The agreement is designed to reduce the cost of aluminum production while maximising the reliability and overall performance of 19 GE gas turbines that power the Dubal production complex.

“This service agreement with GE will help us reduce our cost of generating electricity, which will lead to a lower cost of aluminum production, positioning us more competitively in the global market,” said Abdulla Kalban, president and chief of Dubal.

The GE gas turbines operating at the Dubal power plant include six Frame 9E units, five Frame 9Bs and eight Frame 5s. As part of the service agreement, the NOx emissions of the Frame 5 units will be reduced by 15 per cent.

“Our service agreement will provide Dubal with GE’s technical experience and support to meet their specific power generation requirements,” said Joseph Anis, president of GE Energy for the Middle East.

“The reliable supply of power and long-term performance of the gas turbines is key to the overall success of this milestone project. With a dependable and efficient supply of power, Dubal can focus on its core mission - the production of aluminum.”

The agreement covers the supply of parts, performance uprates, repairs and field services for planned outages for the gas turbines, over a period of seven years.

In addition to addressing Dubal’s performance and reliability requirements, the GE service agreement will help reduce Dubal’s critical spare parts inventory, a key milestone in the company’s cost-cutting initiative, and further complement the company’s status as one of the world’s most environmentally friendly, and lowest production cost smelters.

Located about 35 kilometers from the city of Dubai, the Dubal aluminum-producing complex was established in 1979 and has been expanded several times. Today it has the capacity to produce more than 960,000 tons of quality, hot metal aluminum annually, for customers in more than 48 countries.

GE has been present in the Middle East since the 1930s and today has regional management and project management offices throughout the region as well as local repair and service facilities to serve its customers there.

GE Energy has been a successful partner in the development of the Middle East’s energy infrastructure with more than 1,000 turbines installed throughout the region, providing more than 70 gigawatts of power.-TradeArabia News Service