Beni Suef is a new combined-cycle natural gas power plant being built by Siemens for the Egyptian Government, as a part of the Egypt Megaproject. The 4.8GW power plant will be located in Beni Suef in the southern part of the country, approximately 110km south of Cairo.

It will be the world’s biggest gas-fired combined-cycle power plant complex when fully operational in 2017, capable of providing electricity to approximately 15 million Egyptians.

Beni Suef combined-cycle power plant details

Spread across an area of 500,000m², the plant will use innovative technology from Siemens that combines a gas turbine with a steam turbine to achieve high fuel efficiency and low production costs. The exhaust heat from the gas turbines will be used to power the steam turbine, resulting in efficient working of the power plant with lower fuel consumption levels.

The plant will initially be operated in simple cycle mode, while heat exchangers and steam turbines will be gradually added to the plant to convert it into a combined-cycle plant, generating a total output of 4.8GW.

The power plant will be built in four modules, with each module including two H-class gas turbines, two heat recovery steam generators, a steam turbine and three 500kV generator transformers.

Turbine details

The Beni Suef power plant will feature a Siemens SGT5-8000H, which is considered to be the world’s most powerful gas turbine.

Each turbine measures 12.6m long, 5.5m wide and 5.5m high, with a base power output of 400MW and operating speed of 3,000rpm. It is equipped with an enhanced sealing system to minimise loss of cooling air during operations.

The first two gas turbines were placed on the site in May 2016.

Financing for Beni Suef power plant

The Beni Suef power project is being funded by a consortium of 17 international banks under a Hermes-covered export credit agency (ECA) loan arranged by Deutsche Bank, HSBC and KfW IPEX-Bank.

The loan agreement for the project was signed in November 2015.

Key players involved

Siemens is responsible for the engineering, procurement and construction services of the plant, under an agreement signed with the Government of Egypt in May 2014.

The Elsewedy consortium, led by Siemens, signed a $2.2bn contract with the Government of Egypt for the construction of the plant in June 2015.

Elsewedy Electric is responsible for the engineering, procurement and installation of balance of plants, along with erection and installation of the Siemens turbines. The company also manages the site preparation, levelling, civil works and construction, as well as site utilities of the plant.

Roward Modern Engineering played a vital role in all the civil works of the power blocks and architectural works for the plant’s utilities and facilities.

Details of the Egypt Megaproject

The Egypt Megaproject, which is being developed by a partnership between Siemens and the Government of Egypt, will involve the development of power generation facilities with a combined capacity of 16.4GW. It is expected to boost the country’s power generation by approximately 50%.

The megaproject includes building three 4.8GW turnkey combined-cycle power plants, namely Beni Suef, Burullus and New Capital, as well as 12 wind parks, which will include approximately 600 wind turbines.

The project also involves the installation of gas-insulated switchgear substations and the expansion of transmission networks in Egypt.

The wind parks are expected to generate 2GW of energy and will generate first power in 2017.