Egypt’s H class combined cycle mega project completed in record time

The new power stations will add a total of 14.4 GW of installed capacity to Egypt’s national grid and, Siemens says, “set a new world record for execution of modern, fast-track power projects”, delivering this amount of power “in only 27.5 months.”

A single combined cycle power plant block with a capacity of 1200 MW typically takes about 30 months to construct, notes Siemens. For the Egypt Megaproject, twelve of these blocks were built in parallel in record time and connected to the grid.

“The record-breaking completion of our Megaproject in Egypt will not only transform the power landscape in Egypt, but will also serve as a blueprint for building up power infrastructure in the Middle East and all over the world,” said Joe Kaeser, Siemens president and CEO. “This Megaproject is also setting the benchmark for trustful and reliable co-operation with our customer and partners...We look forward to applying this unique performance model to other countries in supporting their efforts towards reliable, affordable and sustainable power systems.”

“The completion of the power plants is a significant milestone in the government’s strategy to modernise energy infrastructure in Egypt to drive industrial growth and economic progress,” said H.E. Dr Mohamed Shaker, the Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy. “This is also why the plants were built in select locations across the country to serve the growing demand for electricity among households, businesses and industries. This new power infrastructure will serve as the backbone for economic prosperity in Egypt for years to come.”

Each of the three power plants consists of eight SGT5-8000 H class gas turbines, four steam turbines, 12 generators, 8 Siemens heat recovery steam generators, 12 transformers plus 500 kV gas insulated switchgear. The project has also seen the energising of six substations to transmit electricity generated by the new power plants. In addition, training has been provided to 600 Egyptian engineers and technicians, who will be responsible for operating and maintaining the plants.

The plants are expected to achieve a total net combined cycle efficiency of over 61% and Siemens estimates this “will help the country save over $1 billion in annual fuel costs through better fuel utilisation.”