Doosan Enerbility Lands Big Power Plant Order from Saudi Arabia

(left) Site location of the recently awarded Jafurah Cogeneration Power Plant Phase 2 project.

Doosan Enerbility has landed a massive construction order worth approximately 840 billion won for a large-scale combined heat and power (CHP) plant from Saudi Arabia.

Following a long-term gas turbine service contract in Korea in May, the Korean energy facility giant is solidifying its position in the global gas power market by consecutively receiving large-scale engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) projects from the Middle East.

According to industry sources on June 2, Doosan Enerbility recently signed a construction contract for the Saudi Arabia Jafurah Cogeneration Power Plant Phase 2 with the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and Saudi Aramco consortium.

KEPCO will oversee business development and operation as a global developer, while Doosan Enerbility will implement the project using the EPC method, handling the entire process from design to equipment supply, installation, construction and testing.

Phase 2 of the Jafurah Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Plant, currently under construction, will be built near Jafurah Gas Field, located approximately 400 kilometers east of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

The target completion date is 2029. Upon completion, it will produce 330 megawatts of electric power and 465 tons of steam per hour, stably supplying core energy and heat to the nearby gas field.

The power plant’s core main component, a steam turbine, will be manufactured and supplied by Doosan Skoda Power, a European subsidiary of Doosan Enerbility.

This order is not a one-time achievement for Doosan Enerbility, but the fruit of thorough localization and technical reliability.

Following a successful bid for the Phase 1 Jafurah CHP project in 2022, the company has secured this Phase 2 project consecutively, establishing itself as a partner of Aramco, the world’s largest oil company.

In addition, Doosan Enerbility is benefiting from the Middle East’s “energy supercycle” and increasing its order backlog at a rapid pace. Starting with a 290-billion-won picking unit gas power plant contract signed with the Qatar Water and Electricity Authority last year, the company has successively secured construction contracts in Saudi Arabia alone including Rumah 1 & Nairyah 1 Gas Combined Cycle Power Plants worth approximately 2.2 trillion won and PP12 Gas Combined Cycle Power Plant worth approximately 890 billion won.

“Doosan Enerbility considers it meaningful to have secured this second phase project following the first one in 2022,” a Doosan Enerbility official said.

“As large-scale power orders will be placed by clients in the Middle East including those in Saudi Arabia, we will further strengthen our market penetration based on our accumulated technological capabilities and experience.”

Virtual aerial view of SMR plant under development by Rolls-Royce SMR. (Photos: Doosan Enerbility)

Partnering with UK’s Rolls-Royce SMR

Doosan Enerbility announced on May 28 that it has been selected as a strategic partner for the production of key equipment for an SMR project being pursued by Rolls-Royce SMR in the UK.

Following this selection, Doosan Enerbility will conduct a manufacturability review for major equipment such as reactors to be applied to projects being promoted by Rolls-Royce SMR in the UK and the Czech Republic.

Rolls-Royce SMR is an SMR developer established in 2021, and its largest shareholder is Rolls-Royce PLC, a British aerospace and defense company.

Rolls-Royce SMR is developing a 470MW-class SMR capable of stably supplying base-load power for at least 60 years.

This collaboration targets the Wylfa SMR Project in the UK and the Temelín SMR Project in the Czech Republic being pursued by Rolls-Royce SMR.

In April, Rolls-Royce SMR inked a contract with Great British Energy–Nuclear (GBE-N), the UK’s state-owned nuclear power agency, and commenced site-specific design for three SMRs to be built at the Wylfa site.

In the Czech Republic, the company also signed a construction preparation contract with ČEZ, a state-owned energy company, and is proceeding with site licensing and preliminary design.