Third Version’s a Charm: MAPNA Group’s MGT-70(3) marks anniversary of its operation

June 2020 is the third anniversary of launching MAP2B, MAPNA Group’s homegrown gas turbine which was a turning point in independent design and manufacture of gas turbines in the company. Aiming to boost the performance of E-class V94.2 turbines, the largest fleet operating in Iran’s power sector, the project inaugurated in 2011 and was carried out in three phases in six years. MAP2B was the fruit of the third phase.
Alternatively called MGT-70(3), the gas turbine is a competitive product in its class. With a 185-MW power output and an efficiency rate of 36.4 percent at ISO conditions, the turbine helped MAPNA Group to secure a contract for construction of the 3000-MW Rumaila Power Plant in Basra, Iraq. The 2-billion USD contract, the largest in the history of Iran’s technological exports and the first of its kind to be granted a sovereign guarantee by the Iraqi government, would not have been signed were it not for the capabilities MAP2B gas turbine.
Negotiations for the Rumaila project had started even before the trial of the first MGT-70(3) turbine. It took the client, Shamara Holding Group, one year and a half of negotiations with MAPNA Group technicians, and consultation with a well-known German company, before it was convinced to use the new turbine in the project. Technological specifications of MGT-70(3) were eventually approved by the technical consultant, and MAPNA Group started construction of Rumaila Combined Cycle Power Plant promptly afterwards.
Upon completion, the power plant will comprise twelve MGT-70(3) gas turbines and six steam turbines. The first phase of the power plant, consisting of six gas-fired units, has been constructed and is already in operation, supplying electricity for Iraq’s second largest city.
For a homegrown design & development product, MAP2B is a significant achievement which returned its investments in short span of time. The turbine has also found a sizeable market inside Iran in the past three years. Installed anew or upgraded from older versions, its fleet amounts to forty units. Of this number, thirteen have already started operation in power plants across Iran and Iraq, registering a performance of 170 thousand EOH (equivalent operating hours).
In parallel with the R&D operations on MGT-70, MAPNA Group is also working on development and commercialization of an array of products including MGT-40, MGT-30(1), and MGT-30(2) turbo-generators. Since 2015, MAPNA has been also working on the next generation of its turbines which is expected to become operational in 2021: the advanced MGT-75 gas turbine.
The key feature of MGT-75 project is its holistic approach: it runs in harmony with the growing design and technology maturity in MAPNA Group that aims for development of all power plant equipment. That means not only the gas turbine and its auxiliary equipment, but also the matching generator, power system, governor, steam turbine, combined cycle boiler, and 1*1 multi shaft configuration, all are designed and developed by MAPNA Group experts to build up a fully homegrown advanced power plant. Thanks to support from the Power Ministry and also the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, MAPNA will construct Iran’s first advanced power plant with an efficiency of approximately 60 percent in near future.