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GE Power (Atlanta, Ga., USA) announced it has been selected to provide an LM2500+ aeroderivative gas turbine and long-term services for a new natural gas cogeneration plant at Mexican paper manufacturer Bio-PAPPEL’s San Juan del Rio paper mill in the state of Querétaro. The new facility will generate electricity and heat for the factory, which primarily makes uncoated woodfree paper in large rolls and cut size paper for printing and copying as well as notebooks for customers in Mexico. 

"We selected GE’s proven LM2500+ aeroderivative gas turbine technology and long-term services after we recognized that installing a new cogeneration plant at our notebook production facility will help us meet our current production goals, maintain our leadership in Mexico’s paper industry and support our commitment towards sustainability," said Martín Rincon, chief sustainability officer of Bio-PAPPEL. 

Under the terms of the agreement, GE is supplying the LM2500+ gas turbine unit and a 20+ multiyear services agreement to help Bio-PAPPEL improve reliability and availability of the turbine as well as paper production. As part of the multiyear services agreement, GE will provide remote monitoring and diagnostics-based condition monitoring of the LM2500+ unit to help ensure the power plant’s increased availability by extending the intervals between maintenance periods. 

"GE was able to offer a flexible technology and services solution that will enable Bio-PAPPEL to install its cogeneration plant with a specific electrical and thermal output while also giving them the ability to quickly adjust its generation capacity to meet the paper factory’s future energy demands," said Gabriel Díaz, sales and commercial regional general manager of GE’s Power Services business in Latin America. "A key difference maker is our ability to provide both remote monitoring and diagnostics support as well as excellent customer service in the field to support the power plant’s long-term availability."

The unit is expected to begin commercial operation in the first quarter of 2017.