Siemens to equip Saudi Arabia’s Fadhili gas plant project with locally produced 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 kilometers 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. Furthermore, Siemens and Kahrabel FZE, an affiliate of the ENGIE Group, signed the 16-year long-term service contract for the gas turbines. The Fadhili CHP plant is jointly owned by Saudi Electricity Company (30%), Saudi Aramco Power Holding Company (30%) and the developer (40%), 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. Siemens’ power diagnostics solutions conduct 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. Together with two other new gas extraction plants, Fadhili will produce more than five billion standard cubic feet per day of “non-associated gas,” a natural gas which is extracted independently of oil.“This is a great milestone for Saudi Arabia and Siemens. The project leverages even more opportunities to drive the industrialization of the Kingdom in line with Vision 2030.” says Jeffrey Dunlap, Siemens’ Senior Vice President for power generation sales in the MENA region. “Thanks to our comprehensive service package, the new power plant will reliably supply the gas extraction plant with electricity and process steam for a long time. With the right technological solutions, Siemens continues to demonstrate its local commitment to the Kingdom, its partners and the Saudi society.”