US giant GE has been awarded a contract valued at nearly $1bn for the engineering, construction and provision of gas turbine services for Saudi Electricity Company’s Waad Al Shamal combined cycle power plant.
Scheduled for completion in 48 months, the plant will support the phosphate mining operations in the kingdom, in turn driving industrialisation and job creation for Saudi nationals, the company said in a statement.
It added that GE will deliver the turnkey power plant, supplying four advanced GE 7F.05 heavy duty gas turbines and a GE steam turbine, and featuring solar innovation technology.
The 1,390 MW combined cycle plant will be able to provide the equivalent power needed to supply more than 500,000 Saudi homes.
Ziyad Al Shiha, CEO of Saudi Electricity Company, 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 energize the local economy and create jobs for Saudis through its support to the industrial sector.
“By awarding the contract to GE, we are further building on the long-term partnership we have with GE, with a focus on advanced technologies.”
One of the gas turbines will be assembled fully at the GE Manufacturing Technology Centre in Dammam, underlining GE’s commitment to localisation, the company said.
The remaining gas turbines will be produced at GE’s manufacturing plants in the US.
Hisham Al Bahkali, president and CEO GE Saudi Arabia & Bahrain, said: “This is a milestone in our long-term partnership with Saudi Electricity Company, underlining our commitment to be a complete solutions provider, supporting SEC in maximizing their operational efficiency and productivity to meet the growing demand for power.”
