SHIPCO and GE celebrates the ‘First Fire’ of second gas turbine at Hamriyah IPP in Sharjah

Sharjah Hamriyah Independent Power Company (SHIPCO) and GE célèbrated the successful ‘first fire’ of the second H-class gas turbine at the 1.8 gigawatts (GW) Hamriyah Independent Power Plant (IPP) in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). First Fire is a crucial milestone of achievement as the trurbine is switched and operated on fuel at site after several months of installation and commissioning works .

The Hamriyah IPP is Sharjah’s first self-contained combined-cycle power plant. The Sharjah Electricity, Water, and Gas Authority (SEWA) has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with GE Energy Financial Services and Sumitomo Corporation of Japan to develop, build, and operate the facility. Following financial closing in 2019, the co-developers launched SHIPCO, a joint venture firm with Shikoku Electric Power Company and Sharjah Asset Management, the Sharjah Government’s investment arm, to build, own, and operate the project. GE Gas Power is delivering three 9HA.01 gas turbines, six generators, and three heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) for the facility’s full engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services. For the next 25 years, it will also offer spares, repairs, and maintenance services for the site’s power producing equipment.

Saeed Sultan Al Suwaidi, Chairman of SEWA, said, “The successful first fire of the second gas turbine at the Hamriyah IPP is a significant achievement and I commend the combined efforts of SEWA, SHIPCO, and GE’s teams as we collectively work towards the completion of this critical project. The facility is a key component of SEWA’s 2030 Roadmap and is anticipated to help generate up to 40 percent of Sharjah’s electricity supply when complete.”

“Setting up the Hamriyah IPP is an incredibly complex undertaking that has already involved more than 7 million person hours by up to 1,500 people from over 20 countries. I am delighted to share that almost all the engineering works and up to 80 percent of the commissioning works for the power plant have now been executed,” said Omar Almulla, Chairman of SHIPCO.

He also added,  “Once complete, this is expected to be the most efficient power plant in the Middle East’s utilities sector, and the high efficiency level translates into significant environmental benefits.”

In 2021, projects powered by the turbines received the Plant of the Year, Plant of the World, and Reinvention Award, while GE’s H-class technology set two world records for combined cycle efficiency. SEWA will be able to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to four million tonnes per year by using three GE 9HA.01 turbines, compared to present levels – the equivalent of taking up to one million automobiles off UAE roads.

“GE is honored to bring its record-setting H-class gas turbines to power the Hamriyah IPP and provide reliable, more sustainable electricity for the people of Sharjah. The technology has already been adopted by more than 50 customers from 20 countries, generated over 26GW of power,and clocked in over 1 million commercial operating hours,” explained Joseph Anis, President & CEO of GE Gas Power Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

He added,  “GE’s H-Class gas turbine portfolio also has the capability to burn up to 50 percent by volume of hydrogen when blended with natural gas. Furthermore, GE’s H-class combined cycle plants can be configured with a post-combustion capture system to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 90 percent. These capabilities enable the Hamriyah IPP and Sharjah to potentially transition to an even cleaner energy future in the years ahead.”

For more than 80 years, GE has aided the growth of the energy industry in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). GE-built power generation technologies are now placed in up to 350 locations throughout the area, generating up to half of the GCC’s electricity.