Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) said it has achieved a major logistics milestone by moving a giant gas turbine, the biggest in the UAE, by road from DP World’s Jebel Ali port in a carefully-planned overnight operation and installing it at its site.

 

The Siemens H-class gas turbine, weighing 457 tonnes and measuring 13.5 m in length, was transported 6km from Jebel Ali port, using an oversized truck.

 

On arrival at EGA, the turbine was placed in its permanent location at the heart of a new Dh1 billion ($272.4 million) power block which will further improve the efficiency of Emirati group's electricity generation.

 

The new power block at EGA, which is being developed by JA Power & Water Co, a joint venture formed by Mubadala and Dubal Holding, will be the first in the global aluminium industry to use a Siemens H-class gas turbine, a leading technology in efficient power generation, said the statement from EGA.

 

The entire operation took just over four hours over two days, it added.

 

EGA CEO Abdulnasser Bin Kalban said: "We believes producing the aluminium that makes modern life possible is not enough. We must also produce this aluminium responsibly, in ways that support the sustainable development of not only our company but of the entire nation."

 

"Use of the H-class gas turbine will do just that, enabling EGA to further improve energy efficiency, saving natural resources and reducing costs and environmental emissions. The arrival and installation of the turbine is a milestone in the new power block project, and we are pleased it has been completed safely and efficiently," he stated.

 

Siemens Middle East and UAE CEO Dietmar Siersdorfer said the H-class is among the world’s most efficient and powerful gas turbines. 

 

"The EGA power plant will be the most efficient gas-fired facility in the UAE and will significantly lower emissions and strengthen the industry. Delivering this turbine is only the beginning of our partnership, and we look forward to working hand-in-hand with the EGA, Mubadala and Dubal Holding teams to keep this power plant operating reliably and efficiently for many years to come," he noted.

 

The new power block at EGA will have a generation capacity of over 600 megawatts of electricity and EGA intends to buy the output for 25 years following commissioning, he added.

 

EGA said it was likely to lower greenhouse gas emissions from EGA's power-generation and aluminium-smelting operations at Jebel Ali by some 10 per cent, while NOx emissions are expected to decrease by as much as 58 per cent. 

 

NOx, which is also emitted by motor vehicles, is amongst a group of emissions targeted for reductions under ‘UAE Vision 2021’ to improve local air quality.

 

The H-class turbine was built by Siemens in Berlin and was shipped to the UAE by sea, it stated.

 

Once the new power block is fully operational, five older, smaller and less efficient turbines at EGA’s Jebel Ali site will be put on standby for use only in emergencies.

 

EGA runs power plants at its sites in Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah with a current combined generating capacity of 5,450 megawatts, making the company the largest power-producer in the UAE after the Dubai and Abu Dhabi utilities.-TradeArabia News Service