MHI Receives Order for 4 Sets of Steam Turbine/Generator

The 2,800 MW class (collective power generation capacity) power plant, which is to be first heavy oil-fired supercritical power generation plant in Saudi Arabia, will be built at a site south of Jeddah, a city on the country's western coast facing the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil producing country, has for the first time chosen to adopt a supercritical pressure power generation system capable of efficiently using heavy oil, in order to meet the country's increasing electricity demand. MHI has an abundant track record in deliveries of supercritical steam turbines and boilers.

SEC is a state-owned company established in 2000 through the merger of more than10 power generation companies, mainly regional electricity companies, into one entity. SEC is the only Saudi Arabian company to integrally handle power generation, transmission and distribution. HHI is a comprehensive heavy machinery manufacturer in Korea engaged in shipbuilding and the manufacture of various equipment and machinery, including plant equipment, power generation systems, heavy machinery and construction machinery.

Supercritical pressure heavy oil-fired power generation provides higher generation efficiency than subcritical pressure generation and is capable of reducing heavy oil consumption relative to power output, which results in lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Going forward MHI will continue to conduct aggressive marketing activities for high-efficiency and environmentally friendly supercritical and ultra-supercritical pressure power generation systems in Japan and abroad – including in Saudi Arabia, where the need for heavy oil-fired supercritical pressure power generation is increasing.

*Note: Supercritical turbines and boilers are engineered to operate at steam pressures above water's critical point: 22.1MPa (about 220 times greater than normal atmospheric pressure) and 374.2°C (705.2°F/647.15°K). In actual use, they operate in environments close to 250 atm and 600°C.