Kuwait’s gas powered unit Az-zour to be transformed into a combined-cycle power plant

A steam-tail consists of adding steam power generation equipment to an existing gas power plant to increase its efficiency.
The steam-tail will add 400 megawatts (MW) to the existing 800 MW power plant capacity, increase its efficiency and cut emissions per MW produced. Al Ghanim International, a Kuwait-based multi-national conglomerate spanning a wide range of industrial sectors, has contracted Alstom to complete the new plant by 2014. The contract follows Alstom’s 2007 contract with Al Ghanim to supply Az-zour with five GT13 E2 gas turbines and five TOPAIR generators.
In addition, Alstom has signed an eight-year Long-Term Service Agreement (LTSA) contract that includes the provision of spare parts, reconditioning services and technical field advisory services.
Kuwait’s electricity demand has been growing at an average of 8% per year, driven by a recent boom in construction. Meeting this demand has become a critical issue for Kuwait, especially during the hot summer months when consumption often reaches the country’s maximum production capacity due to air conditioning requirements. The country is looking to add capacity to its currently installed 12.6 gigawatts (GW) to meet summer energy needs.
Alstom Power President, Philippe Joubert, said: “This add-on contract, our first in Kuwait after several landmark contracts in the region, confirms Alstom’s leadership in plant integration and our ability to deliver leading technology quickly to our customers in the Gulf region. Our solution will add power output and boost efficiency while cutting emissions per MW produced, helping Kuwait meet its energy needs with cleaner energy.”
Other add-on projects in the region include the natural gas & heavy distillate (fuel oil) Damietta 1-3 power plant in Egypt for which Alstom added a steam tail with three 139 MW steam turbines, Dubai’s Condor / Kestrel 125 MW aluminium smelter complex in Jebel Ali for which Alstom supplied three 125 MW steam turbines, as well as Pakistan’s Kot Addu residual Oil & natural gas power plant to which Alstom added two 103 MW steam turbine.