Saudi Electricity partners with Alfanar, GE Vernova to shift PP10 to natgas

 Power Plant No.10 (PP10)

General Electric's (GE) New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)-listed business unit, GE Vernova, initiated a fuel conversion project at Saudi Electricity Co.'s (SEC) Power Plant 10 (PP10) in Riyadh.

In a statement today, Dec. 6, the company stated, “By switching the turbines from running on liquid fuels to natural gas, which has the lowest carbon emissions of traditional fossil fuels, the project will enhance the units’ fuel flexibility, efficiency, and output.”

The company noted that Riyadh's PP10, spanning five million square meters outside the capital, is one of the largest combined cycle plants in the world. Powered by 40 of GE Vernova’s 7E gas turbines, PP10 produces about 3.5 gigawatts of energy, powering up to 875,000 homes in Saudi Arabia.

Following project completion, the efficiency of each turbine will increase, reducing fuel consumption and cost of fuel per megawatt hour (MWh) of power generated, in addition to greater electricity output per unit of fuel consumed. The turbines will provide flexible power, with longer inspection intervals and parts life.

“Furthermore, existing and future gas power plants can avoid carbon dioxide lock-in by using low or near zero-carbon fuels such as hydrogen, combined with carbon capture technologies, both of which the Kingdom is beginning to make significant investments in,” read the statement.

Khaled AlGanoon, CEO of SEC, said the company is forwarding to converting power assets to natural gas jointly with GE Vernova and Alfanar Construction Co.

"This project will help us reduce the carbon footprint and emissions of our operations at PP10, in alignment with Saudi Arabia’s goal to generate a balanced mix of electricity from renewable energy and natural gas by 2030,” AlGanoon was qouted as saying.