Siemens to equip Saudi plant with locally made gas turbines

Siemens will supply five F-class gas turbines to the Fadhili Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant in Saudi Arabia. With a generating capacity of 1,200-megawatts, the plant will supply electricity and process steam to a new natural gas extraction plant in Fadhili, which is located around 120-km northwest of Dammam. The turbines will be produced at the Siemens Dammam Energy Hub (SDEH), the Middle East’s largest gas turbine manufacturing facility. In May 2016, the SDEH launched its first gas turbine that was built by young Saudi nationals.

The project is led by Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction, the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) partner with whom Siemens inked the supply agreement. The Fadhili CHP plant is jointly owned by Saudi Electricity Company (30 percent), Saudi Aramco Power Holding Company (30 percent) and the developer (40 percent), which is an ENGIE affiliate.

In addition to the turbines, Siemens’ scope of supply includes five generators and a control system, all of which will be commissioned on site. The long-term service agreement covers maintenance services for the turbines, including advanced power diagnostics services, which is part of the company’s “Digital Services for Energy” portfolio. It conducts detailed diagnoses of the condition of an installed fleet and recommends improvements to minimize unplanned outages and secure the maximum availability of critical infrastructure.

The new power plant will largely be fired with so-called K-gas, a natural gas which has a relatively low calorific value. Siemens and Saudi Aramco have been jointly testing the suitability of the F-class gas turbine for this special type of fuel. The Fadhili CHP project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2019, and will play a key role in expanding gas production to meet the rapidly growing domestic energy demand.