A major industrial project for Engie in saudi Arabia – The Figaro

The French group will build and operate the power plant Fadhili, with a capacity of over 1500 megawatts (MW). The site will be operational in 2019.

The operation had been announced some months ago but it was definitively finalised by the end of last week: Engie (ex-GDF Suez) will build and operate a combined-cycle power plant gas in saudi Arabia. The installation of Fadhili be distinguished at once by its power – more than 1,500 megawatts (MW), the equivalent of a nuclear reactor of new generation, and by its technical features that will make the infrastructure more effective in the country in terms of performance. Engie has clarified that the total project cost would amount to $ 1.2 billion. It will be brought by a company which is led by the French group – the reference shareholder to the tune of 40% – and bringing together also the saudis DRY and Saphco.

On the technical side, this new plant will produce the equivalent of the electricity consumption of 1.4 million people, said the group in a press release. The facility will also 1.447 tonnes of steam per hour and nearly 769 metric tons of water per hour. “We strongly believe in the opportunities in the field of energy and water in the Gulf countries, which benefit from a legal framework, well developed, and a growth region,” notes Sebastien Arbola, director-General of Engie Middle East, South Asia, and Central and Turkey, in Saudi Arabia, we are delighted to further develop our strong relationship with Saudi Aramco and Saudi Electricity Company.”

The central Fadhili is scheduled to enter service in 2019. Cited in the communiqué of the group, Isabelle Kocher, the director-general of Engie, insists on the manner in which this project fits in perfectly with an industrial strategy which aims to focus the developments on the activities of low carbon, whether through renewable energy or gas. “With the project of power plant Fadhili, we opèrerons 4 power plants in Saudi Arabia, says Sebastien Arbola, after the operation of the central, the gross production of electricity of ENGIE will be more than 7000 MWdans this country. These new natural gas power plants low-emitting CO2 can contribute to the plan of reforms of the saudi Arabia called “Vision 2030″, which is intended to diversify the Kingdom’s economy and to prepare the after-oil.”

In the framework of this project in saudi Arabia, Engie intends to rely on all the group’s fundamental principles, namely, as exhibited Sebastien Arbola, solutions based on three pillars: the production of clean electricity and low CO2 emission, the development of large infrastructure and gas projects and the offer of energy efficiency services with the ambition to become the regional partner of reference in the energy transition.