POWER April 2017 - 15

revised for a 450-MW capacity increase.
It will now have a capacity of 6,450
MW. The plant originally slated to have
5,250 MW had already been upgraded
once to 6,000 MW. Ethiopia's Communication
and Information Technology
Minister Debretsion Gebremichael told
reporters in late February that the plant
whose construction began in April 2011
is 56% complete. Its in-service date is
now set for 2018. The project has been
opposed by Egypt, which says the dam
could reduce the amount of water from
the Nile. Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan in
2015 signed an agreement seeking to
end that dispute. When completed, the
roller-compacted concrete dam with two
power stations is expected to be the
largest in Africa.
Siemens Bags Order for Gas Turbines
for Saudi CHP Plant. Siemens
on February 23 received an order for
five F-class gas turbines for a 1,500-MW
combined heat and power (CHP) plant in
the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The plant
is expected to supply about 400 MW
of power and process steam to a new
natural gas extraction plant in Fadhili,
in the Eastern Province of the kingdom.
The remainder will supply residential demand.
Siemens received the order from
South Korea's Doosan Heavy Industries
& Construction Co., which is the engineering,
procurement, and construction
contractor for the project. Siemens also
signed a long-term service agreement
with Kahrabel FZE, an affiliate of the
ENGIE Group, for the gas turbines at
the Fadhili CHP plant for a period of 16
years.
Spain Conditionally Approves Garoña
Reactor Restart. Spain's Nuclear
Safety Council (Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear,
CSN) on February 8 gave the Garoña
nuclear power plant approval to restart
after being offline for the past four years
on the condition that its operator, Nuclenor,
made a number of safety upgrades.
If upgraded, the 446-MW boiling-water
reactor, which is 46 years old, is suitable
for operation until 2019, CSN said. The
modifications include the installation of
a filtered containment venting system,
construction of alternative emergency
management centers, and installation of
a passive autocatalytic hydrogen recombiner,
according to World Nuclear News.
A final decision on a license renewal application
submitted in February 2014 for
Garoña will be made by Spain's Ministry
of Energy, Tourism, and the Digital Agenda
after Nucelnor has made the necessary
upgrades.
April 2017 | POWER
Saudi Arabia Calls for Qualifications
for 700 MW of Renewables.
Saudi Arabia in late February opened
bidding for up to 700 MW of wind and
solar power projects in a bid to temper
its domestic oil use and meet growing
power demand. The Renewable Energy
Project Development Office
(REPDO)
invited bidders to qualify for its first
renewable energy tender by March 20.
The selected parties will be announced
by April 10 and will be invited to present
their offers for the projects between
April 17 and the end of July. The
tender calls for 300 MW to 700 MW of
solar photovoltaic and 400 MW of wind
to be developed at Sakaka in Al Jouf
Province. The projects will be backed by
25-year power-purchase agreements for
solar and 20-year agreements for wind.
It is the first stage of the kingdom's
efforts to develop 10 GW of renewable
power by 2023. The ministry said in a
press statement that it wants to make
the National Renewable Energy Program
" among the most attractive, competitive
and well executed government renewable
energy investment programs in
the world, and we have all the necessary
infrastructure in place to ensure
that is the case. "
Consortium Wins Tender for Japan's
First Offshore Wind Farm.
A consortium led by Japanese utility
Kyuden Mirai will undertake the development
of a $1.54 billion offshore
wind project about 10 km off the port of
Hibikinada, in Kitakyushu's Wakamatsu
Ward. The project will likely comprise
44 turbines installed on jacket foundations.
Construction of the wind farm off
the coast of Fukuoka Prefecture on the
western island of Kyushu could begin in
2022 following an environmental impact
assessment.
The consortium comprises
Hibiki Wind Energy Group, which includes
utility J-Power, Saibu Gas, and
engineering firm Kyudenko. It was chosen
to develop the project by the Kitakyushu
municipal government. A turbine
supplier has not yet been identified,
though Hitachi's 5.2-MW offshore turbine
is a possible frontrunner, according
to industry observers. The project will be
Japan's first offshore wind project. The
country in May 2016 amended its Port
and Harbour Law to promote the development
of offshore wind. The revisions
allow developers to lease designated
water zones in port areas for a period of
up to 20 years. ■
-Sonal Patel is a POWER associate
editor
www.powermag.com
15
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POWER April 2017

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