American technology giant General Electric (GE) has won a contract worth nearly $1bn for the 1390MW Waad Al Shamal combined cycle power plant development in Saudi Arabia.
The firm has been selected to deliver turbines for the facility and will be responsible for the engineering and construction of the equipment.
Under the deal, GE will supply four advanced GE 7F.05 heavy duty gas turbines and a GE steam turbine for the plant, which also feature solar innovation technology.
Built for Saudi Electricity Company’s (SEC), the facility will support the phosphate mining operations in the locality, which in turn are expected to strengthen industrialisation and create new jobs in the country.
Construction of the facility is expected to be completed in 48 months, GE said.
Once commissioned, the facility is expected to generate enough power to meet the energy requirements of more than 500,000 Saudi households.
Saudi Electricity Company CEO Ziyad Al Shiha said: "We continue to strengthen the Kingdom’s power infrastructure to meet the growing demand for electricity and to accelerate all-round growth.
"Waad Al Shamal is a strategically located power plant that has tremendous potential to energise the local economy and create jobs for Saudis through its support to the industrial sector."
GE will also be delivering long-term service support for the facility, in order to ensure faultless operation of the turbines.
The 7F.05 heavy duty gas turbines are expected to provide a ten minute startup to an 80% load for the Waad Al Shamal facility.
By accommodating a wide range of fuels for its operations, the turbine technology can ensure lower costs for its users, GE said.
The firm will be assembling one of the gas turbines at its Manufacturing Technology Center in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, with the rest of the gas turbines to be produced at its Greenville facility in South Carolina, US.
GE’s manufacturing plant at Schenectady in New York, US, will be producing the steam turbine.
Image: A GE-built 7F.05 gas turbine. Photo: courtesy of General Electric.
