Through its role in the Al-Khafji power project, Black & Veatch helped to provide onshore and offshore facilities reliability with the timely completion of an important power plant upgrade project in Saudi Arabia’s eastern province.

The Al-Khafji power project was completed on time and on budget, with Black & Veatch performing engineering and project management scope. The plant upgrade is the source of power for onshore and offshore facilities requiring high reliability. The facility incorporates three General Electric Frame 6B simple cycle units capable of producing 90 megawatts of power.

Several design features were incorporated to optimize plant operations and ensure reliability. These include automatic changeover to diesel fuel upon loss of gas supply or pressure; automatic load shedding of non-essential facility loads upon an upset of the electrical system; and emergency shutdown systems that ensure continued operation of the power plant to feed essential loads. Commercial operation of the upgraded Al-Khafji power facility was completed in 2004.

Black & Veatch has more than 50 years’ experience in the design, procurement and construction of simple cycle units around the world. Similar projects include the PP3 Power Project in Jeddah, as well as gas turbine installations at Safaniyah, Shedgum and Uthmaniyah, Saudi Arabia.