ABB to Upgrade Gas Turbine Control System to Boost Reliability and Efficiency at Singapore Power Plant

­ABB has been commissioned to upgrade one of the turbine control systems at the 1,300 MW Keppel Merlimau Cogen (KMC) combined cycle gas turbine on Jurong Island in Singapore, to improve efficiency and reliability. The scope includes replacing the existing Egatrol 8 turbine control system with Egatrol X, which is based on the ABB Ability™ System 800xA® flagship distributed control system (DCS) and modern AC800M portfolio.

Transferring full functionality from the existing application to the updated solution allows the customer to avoid downtime and install the control system in the shortest possible time. The project involves upgrading DCS components while keeping the overall structure as far as possible. Instead of having to rebuild the entire system in one go, ABB will provide a flexible, customized approach whereby older components are replaced as and when needed. This prevents unnecessary downtime, avoids the costs associated with loss of operation, and ensures a stable, reliable energy supply with high availability.

All control settings are adopted through an in-house software code conversion process, eliminating time-consuming adjustments of system parameters. The user interface, based on System 800xA, only requires minor adjustments, which eliminates operator retraining. The hardware design, featuring ABB’s latest I/O evolution kit, significantly reduces commissioning time and eliminates the risk of re-wiring errors. 

As part of Singapore’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, the government is driving business transformation through grants for energy efficiency and emissions reduction. It is also investing in low carbon technologies to progress the energy transition[1]. With power generation currently accounting for 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, the country plans to diversify its energy supply with a focus in four areas: solar, regional power grids, emerging low-carbon alternatives including hydrogen, and natural gas.

While natural gas continues to play an important role, as the country expands its energy portfolio, the KMC project showcases how ABB enables customers to enhance energy and carbon efficiency in gas power generation. This initiative not only safeguards current energy security but also supports the integration of renewable energy into the grid, driving forward shared energy transition goals.

“As a global leader in the DCS market, ABB has both the expertise and technology to deliver flexible, customized upgrade installations in the fastest and safest way available,” said Per Erik Holsten, President of ABB Energy Industries. “Turbines sit at the heart of a power plant and our gas turbine control systems have been helping utilities to provide electricity to households across the world in the most efficient and sustainable way possible.”

“We are pleased to renew the longstanding partnership between Keppel and ABB with the latest turbine upgrade project. Leveraging ABB’s strong domain knowledge, we are confident that KMC will experience a smooth and seamless migration to the updated system, which is critical to our productivity and ability to provide reliable power supply to the grid,” said Miguel Benito, Assistant Managing Director, Technical and Operations, Power & Renewables, Infrastructure, Keppel.

This is part of KMC’s ongoing initiatives to adopt automation solutions to boost system reliability and responsiveness, to achieve enhanced efficiency, lower fuel costs, and a reduced environmental impact.