The phase two of the Al Dur independent water and power project (IWPP) under construction in Bahrain will have 1.5GW of gas-fired, combined-cycle power generation capacity, and 50 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD) of water processing capacity.
Owned by the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) of Bahrain, the power project is being developed by ACWA Power (60%) on a build, own and operate (BOO) basis. The other investors for the project include Mitsui (30%) and Al Moayyed Contracting Group (10%).
While the construction works on the £862.27m ($1.1bn) project were officially started in February 2019, two of the total four gas turbines of the plant were successfully ignited as of February 2021, with the commissioning of the entire facility scheduled for June 2022.
Location and site details
The phase two of the Al Dur gas-fired combined-cycle power project is located in Al Dur, in the Southern Governorate of Bahrain.
The Al Dur IWPP phase-2 project site occupies approximately 1.92km2, to the south of the existing Al Dur IWPP phase-1 facility, adjacent to the Arabian Gulf coastline.
Al Dur IWPP phase two make-up
The Al Dur power project phase two consists of four gas turbine generators, four heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs), and two steam turbines in a 4-4-2 configuration for a total power output of approximately 1.5GW.
The combined-cycle power station will be equipped with SGT5-4000F gas turbines and SST5-5000 steam turbines supplied by Siemens.
The other components of the power plant will include four 60m main stacks, four 60m bypass stacks, induced draft counterflow cooling towers, and transformer facilities.
Sea water reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant
The seawater reverse osmosis and desalination plant of the Al Dur IWPP phase-2 will have a of net capacity 50 million imperial gallons of water per day (MIGD).
The SWRO plant will consist of two production lines, each equipped with pressure vessels, cartridge filter, high-pressure pump, energy recovery device, and booster pumps.
The reverse osmosis technology will incorporate a dual media pressure filter (DMPF) combined with cartridge filters to separate dissolved salts from seawater, and generate permeate for further treatment to make it potable.
Infrastructure facilities
The other infrastructure facilities for the project include the existing seawater intake and outfall system and electro-chlorination facility, along with natural gas supply headers connecting the existing gas facilities.
Sea water consumption and natural gas supply
The sea water consumption for the Al Dur IWPP phase-2 is estimated to be approximately 32,514m3 per hour.
The natural gas for the project will be supplied by Tatweer Petroleum Company.
Power evacuation
The electricity generated by the Al Dur IWPP phase II project will be evacuated through a 400kV power transmission line via a gas-insulated substation (GIS).
Power and water purchase agreements
The electricity and water produced from the Al Dur Phase II IWPP will be off-taken by the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) of Bahrain under a 20-year power and water purchase agreement.
Contractors involved
ACWA Power signed an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract with Shandong Power Construction Company III (SEPCO III) for the development of the integrated power and water desalination project in October 2018.
Siemens was contracted for the supply and installation of the turbines and heat recovery steam generators for the gas-fired, combined-cycle power facility, while SIDEM was contracted for the development of reverse osmosis desalination plant in May 2019.
Bahrain Building Chemicals supplied chemical products such as grouts, repairing products, and internal protective coating in July 2020, while SPIG, a subsidiary of Babcock and Wilcox Enterprises, was contracted for the supply of 40 induced draft counter flow cells for the project in September 2019.
NOMAC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ACWA Power, signed an agreement for the operations and maintenance of the power plant in March 2019.
5 Capitols Environmental and Management Agency was engaged by ACWA Power for the preparation of the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) for the power project.
ByrneLooby was sub-contracted by 5 Capitols for the site-based surveys, along with the thermal, brine, and residual chlorine dispersion modelling studies.
