POWER September 2016 - 27

TOP PLANTS
1. Fast work. The 640-MW simple cycle Attaqa power plant comprises four Siemens Eclass
gas turbine generation units, and construction was completed within six months. This image
shows the project site at the height of construction. Courtesy: Rowad Modern Engineering
POWER POINTS
Winning Attributes
Constructed a 640-MW gas-fired
power plant within a condensed
period of six months
Built in record time by a
completely domestic workforce,
with no injuries
Helps to alleviate chronic power
shortages
and then transporting it to the project
site on time was aided by government
intervention, including armed forces, according
to plant officials speaking at the
inauguration ceremony.
Participants were also forced to quickly
power plant in Mahmoudia with two AE94.2
Ansaldo gas turbines.
For Elsewedy Electric, a private company
that has a number of segments in 15 countries
and derives the bulk of its revenues from
the manufacture of cables, the contract was a
major award in terms of power generation in
Egypt. It immediately tasked its subsidiary,
Elsewedy Power System Projects (PSP), with
engineering, procurement, and construction
(EPC) for both plants.
The project scope for Attaqa also included
civil, electrical, mechanical, piping, structural,
architectural, and engineering works.
In addition, the project required " advanced
specialties, " including integrated automation
processes and " strategic sourcing, material
management, contract management, and all
logistics aspects and the construction activities, "
said PSP, which remains responsible for
reliability for 24 months after delivering the
units to their owner.
But Elsewedy also turned to Egyptian consulting
firm Engineering Consultants Group
(ECG) S.A. to oversee design review and
supervise construction, explicitly to meet
the tight schedule. To enable a quick start of
construction, ECG said it " rapidly set up a
task force involving senior staff to plan and
meet the project's staffing requirements and
to immediately start the mobilization of personnel
specifically appointed to meet the PSP
milestones. "
Then in March 2015, it awarded German
firm Siemens contracts to supply four E-class
turbines, specifically designed for the 50 Hz
market, to the Attaqa plant, as well as to test
September 2016 | POWER
and commission the project and ultimately
connect the gas turbine generator units to the
national grid.
Elsewedy said it chose Siemens turbines
for their high fuel flexibility and reliability,
and especially for their " service-friendly design
and suitability for all load ranges, particularly
peak-load operation. "
By May 29, 2015-2.3 million workman
hours later, and a mere 159 days after
contract signing-the first 160-MW unit at
Attaqa was synchronized to the grid. That
stunning milestone was two days ahead of
schedule.
All generating units at the Attaqa plant-7
miles from Suez City, which sits on the
shores of the Gulf of Suez to the east of
Cairo-were connected to the grid by July
7, 2015, when it was inaugurated by former
Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab. The plant's
owner, EEHC affiliated company the East
Delta Electricity Production Co., is now
looking to convert the plant-at an additional
cost of $360 million-to combined cycle
mode and increase its overall capacity from
640 MW to 960 MW.
Overriding the Complexities
Unsurprisingly, the biggest challenge faced
by the project's many participants was its
constricted six-month construction timeframe
(Figure 1).
Challenges related to finding the necessary
equipment, which was sourced from
around the world, were sidestepped mostly
owing to Siemens' strong supply chain.
Getting that equipment through customs
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develop and configure gas turbine generator
packages that matched the available local
fuel and optimized the balance-of-plant
equipment design.
Even with the clock ticking, the project
team comprising 1,500 workers and
engineers-all Egyptian-experienced no
injuries.
Wider Implications
The
Attaqa plant's timely completion
has most prominently been a triumph for
Elsewedy's engineering and construction
arm PSP, which supplies, installs, and
commissions overhead transmission lines
and substations as well as EPC solutions
to power generation projects in the Middle
East and Africa-though not previously in
Egypt. Steps to alleviate Egypt's energy
crisis that have opened up new projects to
private companies have been a boon for
the company. Siemens, too, has cemented
its foothold in the country with Attaqa.
Elsewedy is now poised to participate in another
major project led by Siemens to add
14.8 GW to Egypt's grid, including for the
4.8-GW Beni Suef project, which is set to
be one of the world's biggest gas-fired combined
cycle power plant complexes when
completed, likely in early 2017.
For completing the Attaqa plant within
a tight schedule to provide an efficient and
reliable power supply, despite numerous
challenges, and for serving as the model
for large-scale fast-tracked power plants
in an energy-strapped country, this plant
is highly deserving of a POWER Top Plant
award. ■
-Sonal Patel is a POWER associate
editor.
27

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POWER September 2016

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