Riyadh/Erlangen: German engineering group Siemens said yesterday it has received an order from Saudi Arabia for the supply of components for a combined cycle power plant with an associated seawater desalination facility.
For the Ras Az Zawr power plant, Siemens will supply 12 gas turbines, ten heat-recovery steam generators, five steam turbines, and the associated auxiliary and ancillary systems.
The order volume for Siemens is more than $1 billion. This makes it one the largest orders posted by Siemens Energy in the Middle East.
The Purchaser is a consortium comprising Al Arrab Contracting Company, Saudi Arabia and the Chinese SepcoIII Electric Power Construction Corporation.
The start of commercial operation is scheduled for early 2014.
The Ras Az Zawr facility will be built approximately 75km northwest of Jubail. The 2400-megawatt plant will supply electricity to an aluminium smelting plant, and approximately 225 MiGD (million imperial gallons per day) of drinking water for the capital city Riyadh with its five million inhabitants. That amount is equivalent to approximately one billion litres of drinking water or around 200 litres per inhabitant.
"Ras Az Zawr is one of the most important mega projects in Saudi Arabia. It is another great example of the outstanding strength in partnership between Siemens, ACC and Sepco. With this step Siemens establishes its dominant role in the world of advanced Gas Power plants as well in Saudi Arabia," said Michael Suess, CEO of the Fossil Power Generation Division of Siemens Energy.
Saudi Arabia is an attractive power generation market. In the next ten years it is anticipated to meet the significant rise in power demand the installed capacity will have to double growing 4,000mW annually.