E will supply a trailer-mounted GE TM2500 gas turbine to PetroMasila, which operates the exploration and production of oil in Yemen. Many oil field operators who flare associated gas are making the investments necessary to reduce flaring and lower related emissions. The TM2500 unit will be installed at Block 14 in the Hadramout region and will be capable of providing up to 34 MW at the site’s conditions. The TM2500 will be powered using previously flared associated gas to support PetroMasila’s oil exploration and extraction processes - creating electricity from excess gas.
Once interconnected to the local grid, over half of the electricity produced from the unit at Block 14 will be delivered to the grid, providing electricity needed to power homes in Yemen that currently suffer blackouts. The TM2500 unit is expected to achieve commercial operation in 2023. The use of the TM2500 will eliminate the use of diesel. Flaring of associated gas is not only an economic waste but also leads to environmental pollution, as it contains methane and hydrocarbons which contribute to increasing greenhouse gases globally.
In 2021, according to the World Bank’s 2022 Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report, 144 billion cubic metres of gas was burnt in flares at upstream oil and gas facilities across the globe, resulting in approximately 400 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent emissions. By utilizing the gas that is currently being flared, the world could make significant progress towards much needed energy security from a readily available source. GE’s announcement comes on the heels of previous three TM2500 units installed at Block 10 in East Shabwa region of Yemen in 2022. Those units replaced diesel generators, which not only generated 50% more emissions than the gas turbines, but also ran on expensive imported diesel fuel.