As part of his state visit to Kuwait, Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder officially opened the Az Zour gas turbine plant on February 28, which was installed as a turnkey project by Siemens Power Generation (PG). Purchaser is the Kuwaiti Ministry of Energy. The value of the order for Siemens PG is approximately EUR390 million.
The power plant, located approximately 80 kilometers south of Kuwait City, is being built by Siemens Power Generation (PG). The contract with a delivery period of 25 months was awarded in April 2003. PG's scope of supply includes eight SGT5-2000E (formerly called V94.2) gas turbines, the associated generators and transformers, and the instrumentation and controls systems. The plant is connected to the Kuwaiti grid via the extension of an existing gas-insulated switchgear plant.
The power plant was built in two phases. Upon completion of phase 1 in the summer of 2004, the plant was ready for commercial operation with four gas turbines and a capacity of more than 500 megawatts (MW). In order to meet the challenging time schedule, considerable logistics efforts were made, including shipping more than 30,000 freight tons of power generation equipment to Kuwait within two weeks.
With the completion of phase 2, the plant now has a capacity of approximately 1000 MW. This power output will make an important contribution toward meeting the country's growing power demand in an economic and environmentally compatible manner.
Both natural gas and diesel oil can be used to fuel the plant. Az Zour is the first new Siemens power plant in Kuwait in nearly three decades.
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 Az Zour is a significant step in this direction."
