Stage-three power

Alstom has signed a contract worth about €1.9bn (£1.5bn) with Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) to build stage three of the Shoaiba power plant.

The 1,200MW steam power plant will be constructed adjacent to the existing plant on the Red Sea coast 100km south of Jeddah.

Once complete, the Shoaiba power station will comprise 14 units, capable of 400MW each, with a gross total output of 5,600MW.

Under the terms of the contract, Alstom, as leader of a consortium that includes Saudi Archirodon, will design, supply, install and commission the entire plant, including oil-fired boilers, STF40 steam turbines, Gigatop turbogenerators, sea-water flue gas desulphurisation and auxiliary equipment.

The boilers are designed to burn crude and heavy fuel oil and will use Alstom’s low NOx tangential firing technology.

Saudi Archirodon will carry out all the associated civil and marine works.

Stages one and two of Shoaiba were supplied by an Alstom-led consortium on a turnkey basis.

The contract to build stage one, consisting of five 400MW units, was signed in October 1998.

Following its completion in 2003, a second contract was signed in March 2004 for stage two, which included six 400MW units.

Stage two was completed in December 2007, with the last unit (number six) commercially operational six months in advance of the agreed contract completion date.