Qatar has officially inaugurated the 2.5GW Umm Al Houl power plant, a combined cycle power facility built near the country’s capital Doha with an investment of QAR11bn ($3.02bn).
Image: View into the Umm Al Houl power plant. Photo: courtesy of Siemens AG.
The Umm Al Houl power plant comprises two blocks with each having three gas turbines to generate the steam to drive two downstream steam turbines.
Siemens, under a service contract awarded by Umm Al Houl Power in April 2016, delivered six SGT5-4000F gas turbines, four SST5-4000 steam turbines, 10 SGen5-1200A generators that includes instrumentation and controls.
The facility is owned by Umm Al Houl Power, a company created by Qatar Electricity and Water Company (QWEC), Qatar Petroleum (QP), Qatar Foundation (QF) and a joint venture between Mitsubishi and TEPCO & Fuel Power, called K1 Energy.
Siemens power and gas division CEO Willi Meixner said: “With Umm Al Houl we proved again our capability to execute large power plant projects on time and with the highest quality.
“The project underlines once more that power plant technology from Siemens has a strong reputation in Qatar and in the Arab Gulf region.”
Umm Al Houl is the second-largest power plant in Qatar after the 2.73GW Ras Qartas Energy Plant in Ras Laffan Industrial City.
According to Siemens, the Umm Al Houl power plant achieved its first fire in April 2017 and in August of that year generated its first power. The Qatari power plant has been operating in combined cycle mode since May 2018.
Till date, Umm Al Houl has operated 10,000 equivalent operating hours on all its six gas turbines, said Siemens.
The German company will also execute a 25-year long-term service agreement for the power plant. The agreement is designed to enhance its operating capabilities, flexibility and profitability by increasing efficiency, reliability and availability during its entire lifecycle.
Siemens said that the agreement will facilitate implementation of innovative service solutions through preventative maintenance, reduced lead times and on-site technical field assistance.
Umm Al Houl Power CEO Jamal Khalaf said: “Siemens was central to the success of the power plant and given the role Umm Al Houl power plant will play as a strategic piece of infrastructure for the continued development of Qatar, it was essential for us to work with a reliable and efficient partner like Siemens.
“Given their performance on the project so far, we are confident in our long-term service partnership with them over the next 25 years.”