Sharjah, 03 April 2019: The Sharjah Emirate has placed an order for the construction of a 1,026.3 MW gas turbine combined- cycle (GTCC) power plant with Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS). The plant, to be fired by natural gas, will center on two M701F gas turbines in a project underway by the Sharjah Electricity & Water Authority (SEWA) in the coastal city of Layyah. Plans call for completion and startup of the plant in mid-2021. The project will be the first in Sharjah to be financed as an export loan with support from Japans export credit agency (ECA).

MHPS received the order for this natural-gas-fired GTCC plant on a full turnkey basis in a consortium with an affiliate of ELSEWEDY ELECTRIC S.A.E. (EGX:SWDY.CA), the leading integrated energy and infrastructure solution provider in the Middle East and Africa. MHPS will provide the core equipment, including two gas turbines, one steam turbine, three generators and two heat recovery steam generators (HRSG). ELSEWEDY ELECTRIC will provide engineering, procure balance of the plant and other equipment and undertake construction at the site.

SEWA currently operates a 2,850 MW power plant in Sharjah fired by natural gas and oil. In addition to supplying electric power, the plant uses the steam created on-site to convert seawater to fresh water, which SEWA supplies within the emirate. In response to an increasingly tight power supply due to Sharjahs economic development, SEWA has embarked on a program to increase power output and boost efficiency through adoption of state-of-the-art power generation facilities, and expansion of the Al Layyah power plant is part of this initiative. MHPS will contribute to a stable electricity supply in Sharjah through provision of its F Series gas turbines.

To date, MHPS has delivered a total of 87 gas turbines to the Middle East market, including six units supplied to the UAEs Al Aweer power plant in Dubai in 1998. With the newly received order, the number of units supplied to the UAE will increase to eight. Worldwide, the company has a track record of approximately 200 units delivered, with especially high accolades accorded to the M701F gas turbine.

Going forward, MHPS will seek to respond to Sharjah and the UAEs robust power demand by proposing highly advanced thermal power systems, thereby contributing to their economic development while also easing environmental burdens.