RIYADH – Dhuruma Electricity Company (DEC) announced that the Riyadh PP11 Independent Power Plant (IPP) in Saudi Arabia achieved full commercial operation on March 12, 2013. PP11 is a gas-fired independent power project with a capacity of 1,729 MW, situated about 125 km west of Riyadh.

Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) will be the sole off-taker of the power sold by the project company, Dhuruma Electricity Company, in which it also has a 50 percent participation.



The sponsor consortium holding the other 50 percent of DEC is comprised Co of GDF Suez Group (20 percent), Aljomaih Holding (15 percent) and Blue Horizon, a subsidiary of Japan’s Sojitz Corporation (15 percent).

The project is structured as a build-own-operate arrangement with SEC. Construction started in June 2010 with Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) as EPC contractor. General Electric supplied the seven high efficiency gas turbines as well as the two steam turbines.



The project stayed well on track during the three years of construction: it provided over 600 MW early power in June 2012 and over a 1,000 MW during the peak Ramadan summer month in the Kingdom, and completed commissioning in combined cycle configuration ahead of schedule.



Riyadh PP11 will be operated and maintained by Dhuruma O&M Company that is jointly owned by GDF SUEZ (80 percent) and Aljomaih Group (20 percent).

President and CEO of the Saudi Electricity Company Ali Saleh Al Barrak, said “the Saudi Electricity Company is committed to cope effectively with the increasing demand for electricity through structured plans and programs that define projects, as well as the technical and financial requirements and human needs. It further utilizes the performance indicators as mechanisms for managing its strategic orientation and organizational performance.”



“Through its efforts, the company has succeeded in attaining concrete achievements in the development and reinforcement of the electrical system capacities in the Kingdom, in a manner that is in line with the Kingdom’s recent rapid economic growth,” he added.



Moreover, Al Barrak said “SEC is actively participating in the government’s efforts to facilitate the development of both Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and Independent Water and Power Producers (IWPP) in the Kingdom. SEC has introduced long- term (20 years) power purchase agreement with the IPPs. Through its own I(W)PPs and other programs, SEC is expecting a further addition of 24,500 MW generation capacity, which will raise the total installed capacity in the Kingdom to 95,000 MW by 2020.”



Shankar Krishnamoorthy, CEO & President of GDF Suez Energy Middle East, Turkey & Africa, said “over the years, GDF Suez has earned a reputation of being a reliable developer and operator of electricity and water facilities in Saudi Arabia. By bringing PP11 into operation on schedule, we have honored our commitment to the Saudi Electricity Company and we have sustained our reputation as a trusted partner. Our Group owes this success to the close alignment and cooperation of its project partners, contractors and suppliers and we want to thank them for that.”



Sheikh Ibrahim M. Aljomaih, Vice Chairman of Aljomaih Energy and Water Company, said “Aljomaih Holdings Co., being the Saudi partner in the consortium, is very proud of this great accomplishment. The successful completion of a project of this size, safely and in such a remote location, is a tribute to the integrated work of the project team, their engineers, the EPC Contractor and SEC who, apart from being the off-taker, were responsible for resolving many key interface issues with the Kingdom’s existing electrical networks. Providing vital power to the people of Saudi Arabia is one of Aljomaih’s main duties and corporate objectives.” — SG