China National Petroleum Corp. Chooses Data Center Cogeneration System

GE announced China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) will install five of GE’secomagination-qualified, Jenbacher cogeneration systems at a new data center that CNPC is building in the Beijing district of Changping. The new power facility will be the first cogeneration plant built in China that will meet an industrial data center’s on-site cooling and heating requirements.

Powered by five of GE’s 3.34-megawatt (MW) J620 Jenbacher cogeneration units, the 16.7-MW combined cooling and heating power plant (CCHP) will offer a total efficiency of up to 85 percent to minimize the data center’s energy costs. The power plant’s electricity also will support the regional grid.

CNPC is building the data center to support its new Technology Innovation Base in the National Independent Innovation Park in Changping. The Technology Innovation Base is the company’s center for petroleum engineering technology research and development, innovation and testing, product development and mechanical manufacturing.

CNPC is the final energy consumer and Beijing Gas Energy Investment Company is the owner and operator of the cogeneration plant. China’s National Energy Administration Bureau approved the project, which will serve as a model for other data center power projects in China.

“Our Changping data center equipment has specific power requirements, which is why we selected GE’s cogeneration technology that has a proven record of reliability around the world,” said Mr. Zhao Jianwei, general manager of Beijing Gas Energy Investment Company. “Our project also supports China’s National Energy Administration goal to build more distributed energy facilities that increase regional energy security and cleaner air.”

The Changping data center power plant is China’s largest gas engine CCHP project and is part of CNPC’s broader initiative to expand its network of remote data centers to strengthen the company’s business operations and emergency backup capabilities.

The cogeneration plant will offer CNPC significant environmental benefits by using cleaner-burning natural gas. Cogeneration technologies are considered to be far more fuel efficient than separate electricity and thermal power systems.

GE will deliver the Jenbacher units by the end of April 2013. Commercial start-up is scheduled for the end of 2013.

The project illustrates the breadth of GE’s solutions for mission-critical data centers.

“GE’s Jenbacher cogeneration technology offers the highest availability and critical load management capacity to support CNPC’s operational and backup energy security requirements,” said Karl Wetzlmayer, general manager of gas engines for power generation—GE Power & Water.