GE Powers into Middle East Markets

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Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) (GE) (Fairfield, Connecticut) continues to bag a stream of contracts in the power and energy sectors in the Middle East.

GE Oil & Gas has been awarded a contract by Qatar Operating Company Limited (Qatargas) to provide advanced combustion technology to assist in the reduction of gas turbine emissions at the three LNG trains at the Qatargas 1 site in Ras Laffan Industry City, which is 70 kilometers from Doha, Qatar.

The contract will cover the supply of a dry low-NOx (DLN) 1.0 combustion system deigned to achieve low emissions levels of 25 parts per million (ppm) for nitrogen oxide. The technology will be applied to the upgrading of six GE Frame 6B gas turbines. The installation of the DLN systems will start in 2012 with the final unit being completed by 2013. Equipment for the project will be provided from GE facilities worldwide.

Qatargas is positioned as a trend setter in environmental responsibility and was the first company in Qatar to establish an ambient air-quality program, which helped to set the agenda for future controls on air emissions for all Ras Laffan industries.

GE Power will supply the Saudi Electric Company (SEC) with 13 gas turbines and associated services for installation at a number of power plants around the country. The expansion of generating power will add nearly 800 MW of power to the grid by the summer of 2013.

Ali Salej Al Barrak, SEC president, said that the expansion projects are part of the company's overall strategy to add an average of 4,000 megawatts (MW) of power to the grid annually as Saudi Arabia faces a growing demand for a secure electricity supply.

The added power will assist in meeting peak power demands and reduce the risk of blackouts. The plant expansions are part of SEC's plans to expand its power capabilities across the country, including remote areas.

The gas turbines will be delivered to various sites between the fourth quarter of 2012 and the first quarter of 2013. Commercial operation will begin in May 2013, in time to meet the summer peak demand period.

In May 2011, GE was awarded a contract of over $500 million to add 1,680 MW of power to the grid and has supplied 200 turbines for SEC projects in the past five years.

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