GE Vernova is trying to portray a green image. While the word Vernova means “new green”, the company has vast fossil fuel holdings, with business strategies that still bulldozing ahead with plans for new liquified natural gas (LNG) power plants in Bangladesh and Vietnam.
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GE Vernova’s continued liquefied natural gas (LNG gas) project expansion plans run contrary to prevailing market conditions in Asia Pacific and its own net zero emissions by 2050 goals. GE Vernova’s proposed LNG buildout could damage the financial position and reputation of “GE Vernova”.
Why GE Vernova?
Although the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario (NZE2050) makes clear that achieving net zero emissions by 2050 leaves an extremely limited and narrowing role for fossil fuels in electricity generation, GE Vernova seeks to expand its business in new LNG to power projects planned to operate for decades. These include almost 25 gigawatts (Annex A) of LNG to power projects in Vietnam and Bangladesh. As such, GE Vernova would be at risk of failing to meet its already inadequate emissions targets.
GE Vernova’s stated singular mission of “addressing the climate crisis” rests in stark contradiction to pursuing and developing projects that are incompatible with global climate goals. Such a disconnect puts the company at risk of being accused of “greenwashing”.
These investments also create financial risks for GE Vernova when Vietnam and Bangladesh (and other countries) could respond to high LNG prices by shifting to alternative energy sources.
How GE Vernova is driving climate change
GE Vernova is reportedly involved in almost 25 gigawatts (Annex A) of LNG to power projects in Vietnam and Bangladesh, which will likely operate to 2050 and beyond.
GE Vernova continues to rely on scenarios that fail to meet its own Net Zero by 2050 emissions goal, such as the IEA’s Stated Policies Scenario, consistent with a catastrophic 2.5°C of warming and not reaching net zero emissions this century.
In the Chattogram region of Bangladesh alone, gas or LNG to power projects with GE involvement would add approximately 430 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) to the atmosphere throughout the plants’ operational lives.
This is equivalent to almost double the annual national emissions of Bangladesh (Annex B).
Those who are currently investing in fossil fuels in Bangladesh – I would like to urge them not to invest in fossil fuels, but instead invest your money in renewable energy.
যারা এই মুহূর্তে বাংলাদেশে জীবাস্ম জ্বালানিতে বিনোয়োগ করছে – তাদেরকে বলতে চাই যে আপনারা ওই বিনিয়োগ এর টাকাটি জীবাস্ম জ্বালানিতে বিনিয়োগ না করে, নবায়নযোগ্য জ্বালানিতে বিনিয়োগ করুন।
These are members of communities who would be affected by proposed projects with GE involvement in Bangladesh. Credit: Market Forces
About GE Vernova
GE Vernova’s commitments
GE spun off its power business into a new entity called “GE Vernova” housing GE’s thermal, nuclear and renewable power divisions. This new entity is working hard to try and emphasise its green credentials (its name comes from the Latin for new green). We anticipate the company will also take on GE’s commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, including its significant Scope 3 emissions from use of sold products.
GE Vernova risks stranded assets
A core part of GE Vernova’s power business is the revenue generated from services, in which GE Vernova provides long-term operating and maintenance contracts for the gas turbines it sells to its customers. GE Vernova’s reliance on this component of the power business has grown in recent years, with service revenue accounting for 70% of power revenue in 2021, up from 56% in 2017.
With gas-fired power rapidly facing out-competition by renewables, not least in emerging Asia, GE Vernova’s service business could struggle to maintain profitability over the long-term. The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) has estimated that “as long as unaffordable LNG prices and procurement challenges persist, US$96.7 billion dollars of proposed LNG-related infrastructure projects in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and the Philippines will face a heightened risk of underutilization or cancellation.” This means a significant risk not only that GE Vernova-sponsored projects will destroy value, but that Vernova’s service-focused business model could come under pressure.
GE Vernova undercutting renewable business
GE Vernova is one of the largest wind turbine manufacturers in the world, ranking fifth globally for additional commissioned wind capacity in 2021 and first in 2020. In NZE2050, the IEA projects the world would require an enormous 7,800 TWh of wind electricity generation by 2030, a five-fold increase on 2020 levels. GE Vernova is well-positioned to help meet this demand given its position in and knowledge of the global wind turbine manufacturing sector.
Nevertheless, GE Vernova is undermining its green credentials through its ongoing involvement in expansionary LNG and fossil gas projects. Moreover, GE Vernova is shooting itself in the foot by undermining the potential of renewables in official white papers, underplaying wind and solar power’s potential for decarbonisation to investors and customers and claiming fossil gas is needed for a secure energy future. Unless the company changes tack, GE Vernova could potentially lose out on securing a leading position as a renewables producer as the world transitions to net zero.
Hydrogen retrofitting is costly and inefficient
GE Vernova has been signalling to its customers that the stranded asset risk of its gas turbines can be addressed by simply retrofitting them to be powered by hydrogen.
There are several pitfalls in GE Vernova’s claims and ambition. A report on hydrogen’s future in the energy system by independent US energy policy think-tank, Energy Innovation Policy & Technology LLC found that using hydrogen for power generation is uneconomical, unproven, risky, and inefficient.
GE Vernova must address these risks by:
- not building any new LNG to power projects, given the unacceptable financial, environmental and social risks attached to such projects, and,
- announcing its exit from proposed LNG projects in Bangladesh and Vietnam
Investors must pay keen attention to hints of greenwashing to ensure the company’s activities do not undermine investors’ own climate commitments
Annex A: List of 25 GW LNG projects with GE Vernova involvement in Bangladesh and Vietnam
| wdt_ID | Project name | Country | Size | Unit | Type of LNG asset | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maheshkhali LNG Power Plant | Bangladesh | 3,600 | MW | LNG Power Plant | https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/public/economy/bangladesh/bpdb-ge- |
| 2 | Matarbari Summit LNG Power Plant | Bangladesh | 2,400 | MW | LNG Power Plant | |
| 3 | Meghnaghat (Unique) | Bangladesh | 584 | MW | Gas/ LNG Power Plant |
https://www.aiib.org/en/projects/details/2022/approved/Bangladesh-Unique-Meghnaghat-IPP.html |
| 4 | Mirsharai 660MW power project | Bangladesh | 660 | MW | Gas/ LNG Power Plant | https://www.thedailystar.net/business/economy/news/govt-build-660mw-plant-mirsarai-2928596 |
| 5 | Bac Lieu (I, II, II + IV) | Vietnam | 3,200 | MW | LNG Power Plant | https://deltaoffshoreenergy.com/2020/10/28/delta-signs-3billion-3-2-gw-power-plant-agreement/ https://www.ijglobal.com/articles/149254/vietnam-lng-to-power-to-submit-ppa-heads-of-terms (subscription source) |
| 6 | Chan May (Phases 1 and 2) | Vietnam | 4,000 | MW | LNG Power Plant | https://chanmaylng.com/src/NYTimes.pdf https://www.ijglobal.com/articles/148935/us-vietnam-jv-to-invest-in-vietnam-lng (subscription source) |
| 7 | LNG Cai Mep Ha | Vietnam | 6,000 | MW | LNG Power Plant | https://ustda.gov/resource-guides/2021-indo-pacific-resource-guide/ (p346) |
| 8 | LNG Long Son I | Vietnam | 1,200 | MW | LNG Power Plant | |
| 9 | Long An I and II | Vietnam | 3,000 | MW | LNG Power Plant |
‘PDP8 details mega projects’, Project Finance International (subscription source) |
Annex B: Emission calculations
The proposed LNG projects are assumed to have a 50% average capacity factor across a 30-year economic lifetime. Emissions estimates are based on median lifecycle emissions from combined cycle gas power of 490 gCO2eq/kWh, according to IPCC 2014, p1335, citing Schlömer S., T. Bruckner, L. Fulton, E. Hertwich, A. McKinnon, D. Perczyk, J. Roy, R. Schaeffer, R. Sims, P. Smith, and R. Wiser. (2014). Annex III: Technology-specific cost and performance parameters. In: Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Edenhofer, O., R. Pichs-Madruga, Y. Sokona, E. Farahani, S. Kadner, K. Seyboth, A. Adler, I. Baum, S. Brunner, P. Eickemeier, B. Kriemann, J. Savolainen, S. Schlömer, C. von Stechow, T. Zwickel and J.C. Minx (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.
https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_annex-iii.pdf#page=7
GE Vernova projects in Chattagram, Bangladesh adding up to 6660MW X Hours in the year X 30 years assumed expected lifetime operation X 50% capacity factor X IPCC 2014 combined cycle gas power emission intensity of 490 gCO2eq/kWh = 429 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2-e) (approx.)
Bangladesh’s 2019 annual emissions was 237.7 MtCO2-e
https://www.climatewatchdata.org/countries/BGD
Disclaimer
GE Vernova spun-off from GE in April 2, 2024. This webpage is intended to convey factual information about GE Vernova, the new entity housing GE’s energy division following the spin-off.
Information comes from the companies’ available annual reports and websites, Refinitiv Eikon, Bloomberg and various news reports.
Occasionally where information is incomplete, assumptions must be made about data and these were made in a consistent manner and in good faith. Whilst we have endeavoured to gather and include all relevant deals, we cannot guarantee the completeness of the information presented.