The Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) signed a SR4.5 billion contract with General Electric on Tuesday to establish the Kingdom’s first fossil fuel and solar power plant near the Red Sea port of Dhuba in the Tabuk region.

The 600-megawatt (MW) integrated solar combined cycle (ISCC) plant will primarily burn natural gas, but will generate 50MW with the support of solar energy to increase fuel efficiency.

Water and Electricity Minister Abdullah Al-Hussayen said the mega Dhuba plant would enable Saudi Arabia to export electricity to Egypt, Turkey and Europe. It will be commissioned in 2017.

In addition to the establishment of an integrated green power plant, the contract includes construction of supply lines to Tabuk. “It is the largest environment-friendly project in the Kingdom,” the minister said.

ISCC plants reduce emissions of climate-warming carbon dioxide by increasing the amount of steam available for driving power generation turbines, without having to burn more gas or oil.

“This project will make power crises in the Kingdom a thing of the past,” said Tabuk Gov. Prince Fahd bin Sultan. He said the electricity sector would grow stronger in the coming years.

The SEC’s chief executive Ziyad Al-Shiha said the plant would have three power generating units — two powered by gas and the third by steam — to produce 550MW in addition to solar energy-powered units to produce 50MW. “This makes it one of the largest power plants in the world.”

He said 25 Saudi engineers and 80 technicians would be trained to run the project, adding that 30 to 35 percent of products used for building the plant would be manufactured in the Kingdom. He estimated the cost of construction work at the plant at SR2.5 billion.

He said a new power transport project would be launched in Tabuk to make the region the largest hub for high-voltage direct current. “It will make use of the power grids linking northwest and northeast of the Kingdom and strengthen the network between Tabuk and Madinah,” he added.

He estimated the value of new electricity projects in Tabuk at SR 10 billion.

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