GE Vernova’s Gas Power business has begun the execution of the fuel conversion project for Saudi Electricity Company’s (SEC’s) Power Plant 10 (PP10), in Riyadh, marking a significant step in Saudi Arabia’s carbon emissions reduction goals. 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.
Built on an area of 5 million square meters outside the capital of Saudi Arabia, PP10 is powered by 40 of GE Vernova’s 7E gas turbines in a combined cycle configuration and is one of the largest combined cycle plants in the world. It can deliver approximately 3.5 gigawatts (GW) of electricity, the equivalent capacity needed to power up to 875,000 homes in Saudi Arabia.
Commenting on the development, Khaled AlGanoon, CEO at SEC, said, “We look forward to working with Alfanar and GE Vernova to convert our power generation assets to natural gas, a lower carbon intensity fuel compared to the crude oil and distillate that currently power the plant. 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.”
Following project completion, each gas turbine’s efficiency is expected to increase, which results in lower consumption and cost of fuel per megawatt hour (MWh) of power generated, and greater electricity output per unit of fuel consumed.
