As part of his state visit to Bahrain, Germany’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier today visited the construction site of Al Ezzel power plant. As per the progress of the project, Steinmeier symbolically started a gas turbine - all four gas turbines have already been handed over to the customer. Al Ezzel is the first independent power plant in the Kingdom of Bahrain and was ordered by Al Ezzel Power Company (AEPC) whose shareholders are Suez Energy International, the Gulf Investment Corporation and the Pension Fund Commission of the Government of Bahrain. The order value for Siemens is approximately EUR310 million.
The Al Ezzel power plant, located on the isle of Muharraq northeast of Bahrain’s capital Manama, is Bahrain’s first independent power project. The project is currently under construction on a turnkey basis by Siemens Power Generation. The project was initiated by the Ministry of Finance and National Economy and was awarded under a transparent competitive bidding process.
The EPC (erection, procurement, construction) contract, with an ambitious delivery period of 29 months, was placed in November 2004. Siemens’ scope of supply includes four gas turbines SGT5-2000E, two steam turbines, the associated generators along with the transformers, and instrumentation and controls systems. A significant contribution to the plant construction effort is being made by Bahraini companies that include GPZ, Nass Contractors, Comsip, Alkomed and several others.
Al Ezzel is the first new Siemens power plant in Bahrain in nearly 25 years. It is being built in two phases, with Phase 1, already in operation, delivering 470MW during the summer peak of 2006 and Phase 2 delivering an additional 480MW commencing in May 2007. The plant is fired with natural gas and the electricity offtaker is the Ministry of Electricity and Water. The power plant will make an important contribution towards meeting the country’s growing power demand in an economic and environmentally compatible manner.
Siemens currently is executing 17 power plant orders in the Middle East, with a combined capacity of more than 12,000 MW. “We want to further consolidate our position in this important market,” said Klaus Voges, president of Siemens Power Generation. “The success at Al Ezzel is a significant step in this direction.”
