Technology giant GE said it has clinched contracts worth more than $500 million from Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) to provide gas turbine technology and services for four power plant expansions.

The four SEC power plant expansions include 600-MW in Qurayyah, 480 MW of the PP-10 power plant 40 km south of Riyadh, 480-MW at Qassim, 350 km north of Riyadh and 120 MW expansion at plant near Tabouk.

As per the deal, GE will also supply two Frame 7EA gas turbines and generators for simple-cycle duty at the site, which serves the Western region.

Announcing this on Monday, GE said these projects will add 1,680 MW of power to the Saudi grid, more than half of SEC’s planned annual increase of 3,000 MW.

“Our ability to respond to our customers’ technology requirements and deliver fast-track projects on a large scale is a core capability of GE,” said Joseph Anis, GE Energy’s president and CEO for the Middle East.

'In Saudi Arabia and around the Middle East, we continue to deliver energy technology solutions that have helped us earn the trust of our customers.'

The power plant expansions, aimed at supporting Saudi Arabia in meeting its growing power needs, especially during the hot summer months, are expected to add over a hundred new local jobs, he added.

These contracts bring GE Energy orders for SEC projects in the last two years alone to over $2 billion, remarked Anis.

Ali Saleh Al Barrak, president and CEO of SEC, said: “These fast-tracked plant expansions are designed to meet peak summer demands. Our customers expect reliability, and over the years GE has built a reputation we can count on and trust.'

'A stellar history of on-time delivery and well-proven gas turbine technology has made our 40 year relationship with GE a success story, with more than 400 GE turbines that are supporting close to 40 SEC projects around the Kingdom,' he remarked.

In addition to supplying power generation technology, GE is providing all four plant expansions with technical advisory services as well as performance testing, which are critical to the successful installation of the plants.

To date, GE Energy power generation technology and services are supporting the generation of nearly half of the ingdom’s installed capacity, said Anis.

Besides service, GE is also providing training for SEC technical teams to support them in the operation of the plants. Through the close relationship with SEC, GE has provided training to an increasing number of local SEC engineers and technicians annually. GE has steadily grown its local team to enhance customer service.

“As the leading energy technology provider in Saudi, GE continues to deliver localized power generation solutions to our long-time customers such as SEC and provide advanced technical training with our growing technology transfer and knowledge sharing initiatives,” he added.

The Engineering Procurement Contracting (EPC) companies for the SEC power plants at Qurrayah, Qassim and PP10 will be Arabian Bemco, while for the SEC power facility near Tabouk it will be Al Toukhi Construction Group.-TradeArabia News Service