Dubai: The Qatar Fertiliser Company (Qafco) has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with GE Oil and Gas for the supply of gas turbines and compressor technology for an expansion project that will result in one of the world's largest fertiliser plants.
The equipment will be used for an expansion of the ammonia and urea plant at the site and for a new cogeneration facility that is part of the overall project.
Under the terms of the LoI, GE will supply four Frame 6B gas turbine-generators, five compressors, five steam turbines, heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) and related services.
The cogeneration plant will provide 140 mega-watts of power and up to 600 tonnes per hour of steam required on the ammonia and urea plant process.
When completed in 2010, Qafco 5 will increase the company's total production capacity to four million tonnes per year of urea, up from current levels of 2.8 million tonnes per year; and to 3.1 million tonnes per year of ammonia, up from two million tonnes per year.
Progress
With the nominal gross domestic product growing at an average of 15 per cent over the past five years, Qatar's economy is rapidly expanding across all industrial sectors. The Qafco 5 project is another signal that the strong upward trend is continuing, officials said.
"Our long-term relationship with Qafco and the confidence they have in our technology and services were key factors in securing this LoI," said Mohammad Ayoub, operations leader and region general manager - Middle East for GE Oil and Gas. "Qafco 5 offers further evidence of GE's ongoing commitment to support Qatar's growing oil and gas industry by providing reliable technology and services for projects throughout the country."
The gas turbines and compressors for the new project will be manufactured at GE Oil and Gas facilities in Florence, Italy and the steam turbines in Le Creusot, France. The gas turbines are scheduled for delivery to the site in Qatar in the first half of 2009, with the compressors and steam turbines to be shipped in the second half of 2009.
