Siemens recently celebrated the arrival of the company’s 1,000th gas turbine produced at its Berlin factory for the Umm Al Houl combined cycle power plant in Qatar.

After journeying thousands of miles from Berlin, the fifth of six 11-m-long SGT5-4000F turbines has made it to the plant that will supply around a quarter of Qatar’s power generation capacity.

The event was attended by Adrian Wood, CEO of Siemens in Qatar; Gianluigi Di Giovanni, senior executive vice president, Power Generation Services, Middle East and North Africa at Siemens; Fahad Al Mohannadi, chairman of Umm Al Houl and general manager and managing director of Qatar Electricity and Water Company (QEWC); Jamal Al Khalaf, CEO of Umm Al Houl Power Company; and John Chang, executive vice president of global business and operations at Samsung C&T. Other customers and officials were also present.

“Qatar is witnessing rapid industrial, economic and population growth. With that comes greater demand for electricity and water supply. Our innovative gas turbine technology will help ensure the Umm Al Houl power plant, an essential component of the country’s future power infrastructure, will operate reliably and efficiently for many years to come,” said Wood. “We are delighted to work with our partners at Samsung and the Umm Al Houl consortium to make this ambitious project a reality and support sustainable long-term development in Qatar.”

Weighing 300 metric tonnes, the turbine has travelled from the Siemens factory to Berlin’s Westhafen port and then to Rotterdam. Upon arriving at the Rotterdam seaport, it was loaded onto a heavy cargo vessel, before voyaging through the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea via Gibraltar. It subsequently entered the Red Sea through the Suez Canal, making its way around the Arabian Peninsula, and finally reaching its destination in Qatar. One SGT5-4000F turbine has a capacity of 300 megawatts, which translates into electricity for 1.8 million people.

QEWC’s Al Mohannadi remarked: “As our country makes big strides towards industrialisation and developing its infrastructure, this power plant will be integral to boosting its future electricity supply. We are delighted to work with dependable partners such as Siemens and Samsung to execute our long-term plans for expanding Qatar’s power sector.”

The Umm Al Houl power plant is located 15 km south of the capital Doha, adjacent to Qatar Economic Zone 3. When completed, the plant will consist of two power blocks. With a total electrical output of 2.5 gigawatts, and up to 136 million imperial gallons (618 million liters) of drinking water per day, the plant will deliver almost one quarter of the nation's installed power generating capacity. It will ensure adequate power and water supply to accommodate seasonal fluctuations and major events. Commissioning of the first phase is scheduled for 2017, with commissioning of the entire complex scheduled for mid-2018.

In addition to six turbines, Siemens’ scope of supply includes four steam turbines and 10 generators. The company has also signed a 25-year service agreement for the plant’s maintenance and servicing. Siemens has been contracted by Samsung C&T, which is building the entire complex together with its consortium partner Hitachi Zosen. The end-customer is the project company Umm Al Houl, a consortium comprising QEWC, Qatar Foundation, Qatar Petroleum, Mitsubishi Corporation and Tokyo Electric Power Company.

John Chang of Samsung C&T said: “Today marks another milestone towards completing this prestigious project and paving the way for a more reliable and sustainable power generation landscape in Qatar. We are proud to work with Siemens and look forward to seeing the company’s technology in action.” -TradeArabia News Service