KUALA LUMPUR (April 5): Independent power producer SPR Energy (M) Sdn Bhd has signed an 18-year operations and maintenance (O&M) agreement with GE Power, in a bid to improve efficiencies at its power plant in Sabah.

Under the agreement, GE Power — a unit of General Electric Co — will implement its Asset Performance Management (APM) software solution at SPR's 100MW combined cycle gas power plant in Kimanis, Sabah.

The APM suite of digital solutions enables valuable data from connected assets to be analysed 24/7 by GE's Monitoring and Diagnostics Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

The implementation of the system — which covers all onsite equipment, including two GE 6B gas turbines, two heat recovery steam generators and a non-GE steam turbine — will be the first of its kind in the ASEAN region.

"At SPR, we constantly seek catalysts and transformations that lead to sustainable growth outcomes and help meet growing power demand in the state of Sabah," said SPR chief executive director Chris Sy Choon Yen.

President and CEO of GE's Power Services Paul McElhinney said: "We have a longstanding relationship with SPR Energy built on years of mutual respect and trust, and we are delighted to help them find alternative solutions for its day-to-day management and improve their operations at the plant."