14.4 GW Megaproject On Line In Egypt

Siemens and its partners marked the completion of what is called the world’s largest combined cycle power plant.

The 14.4 GW Egypt Megaproject was completed in 27.5 months—a record, according to Siemens. The Beni Suef, Burullus and New Capital power plants were developed through a collaboration between the Egyptian Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy and Siemens and its consortium partners, Orascom Construction and Elsewedy Electric.

The stations will add enough power to supply up to 40 million people with reliable electricity, according to Siemens. A single combined cycle power plant block with a capacity of 1200 MW typically takes approximately 30 months for construction. For the Egypt Megaproject Siemens in parallel built 12 of these blocks in record time and connected them 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, president and CEO of Siemens AG. “This Megaproject is also setting the benchmark for trustful and reliable cooperation with our customer and our partners. The leadership of President al Sisi and his team in this project has been remarkable. We look forward to apply this unique performance model also to other countries in their efforts towards reliable, affordable and sustainable power systems.”

Each of the three power plants is powered by eight SGT5-8000 H-class gas turbines, 4 steam turbines, 12 generators, 8 Siemens heat recovery steam generators, 12 transformers as well as a 500-kilovolt gas-insulated switchgear. To improve the resilience of Egypt’s power grid, Siemens has successfully energized six substations that will transmit electricity generated by the new power plants. The company has also provided training to 600 Egyptian engineers and technicians, who will be responsible for operating and maintaining the plants, helping to expand skills and knowledge of the local workforce.

“The completion of the power plants is a significant milestone in the government’s strategy to modernize 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.”