Saudi Aramco plans 1,500MW Fadhili power plant

Power plant will be located adjacent to its planned 1 billion cubic feet a day (cf/d) gas plant

Saudi Aramco is to build a 1,500MW cogeneration power plant adjacent to its planned 1 billion cubic feet a day (cf/d) gas plant at the Fadhili oil field in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

The scheme is still in its early stages and Aramco is currently soliciting interest from potential consortiums.

The project is expected to be third party build, own, operate, transfer (BOOT), and will utilise combined-cycle gas turbines (CCGT).

The project will provide power for the gas plant as well as supply the kingdom’s national grid.

Aramco is the client, but sources have indicated that the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) could also take a share of the plant. The prequalification process is expected to start in the second quarter of 2014.

MEED reported in September 2013 that the US’ Foster Wheeler had been the contract to carry out the front-end engineering and design (feed) for the gas plant. The facility will process gas from the Khursaniyah oil field and Hasbah non-associated gas field.

The feed is still under execution, and engineering, procurement and construction tenders for the scheme are not expected to be floated until the third quarter of 2014.

Saudi Aramco recently finalised financing with the project company to develop three cogeneration power plants at different locations of the kingdom, which will have a combined capacity of 900MW.

Financial close on the estimated $650m project to develop the cogeneration power plants was reached on 9 January.

The state oil firm awarded the three contracts to a consortium of Japan’s Marubeni Corporation and JGC Corporation and the local Aljomaih Energy & Water Company to build and operate three cogeneration plants in the kingdom in August 2013.

The Power Cogeneration Plant Company has been formed as the project company to oversee the development and operation of the plant.

The three cogeneration plants, with a combined total capacity of 900MW, will be located at Abqaiq, Ras Tanura and Hawiya.

The plants will produce a total of 1,500 tonnes of steam an hour. The projects are scheduled to come online in 2016. The Japanese/local consortium will build and operate the cogeneration plants for 20 years, providing power and steam to all three Aramco facilities.

Aramco will hold a 50 per cent stake in the new plants. Marubeni Corporation holds 25 per cent of shares in the project company, while JGC Corporation and Aljomaih Holding Company hold stakes of 15 per cent and 10 per cent respectively.

The Marubeni-led consortium has appointed South Korea’s Samsung Engineering to build the power plants.

Financial close on Aramco’s cogeneration programme follows the recent signing of the project agreements for the state’sSaudi Electricity Company’s (SEC’s) 2,060MW Rabigh 2 independent power project (IPP).

SEC signed the power purchase agreement (PPA) with a consortium led by the localAcwa Power on 30 November to develop the $1.6bn Rabigh 2 power plant.

The PPA has created the Al-Mourjan for Electricity Production Company to operate the Rabigh 2 plant, with SEC and the winning consortium holding a share of 50 per cent each.

As part of the Acwa consortium, South Korea’s Samsung C&T has been awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to build the power plant.

The combined-cycle, gas-fired plant will be located in Rabigh on the western coast of Saudi Arabia, 150 kilometres north of Jeddah.

SEC recently announced it will tender EPC contracts for three major power generation projects in 2014, including the planned 1,760MW PP14 facility.

The state utility is also set to oversee the development of a 1,000MW CCGT plant at Saudi Arabian Mining Company’s (Maaden’s) $6bn Waad al-Shamal industrial development

SEC’s EPC and IPP programmes form the central part of the kingdom’s plans to boost power generating capacity to cope with the expected rise in demand.

In its 2012 annual report, SEC forecast that peak demand would grow from 51,900MW to 85,000MW in 2020 and 120,000MW by 2030.