Wartsila said it received a contract from Kahraba, a subsidiary of Egypt Kuwait Holding (EKH), to deliver new generating equipment — Wartsila 34SG engines — to add 20 MW of output to the existing Borg El Arab power plant located 45 kilometres southwest of Alexandria, Egypt.
Wartsila will also upgrade the existing 40 MW plant with the latest generation control system. The contract was booked in Wartsila’s order intake in Q1, 2022.
The Borg El Arab plant currently operates with four Wartsila 34SG engines running on natural gas.
“We have been satisfied with the efficiency and reliability of the Wartsila engines and the approach of Wartsila’s personnel in serving our needs to optimize our operations. This is why we had no hesitation in selecting Wartsila again for this plant expansion project,” said Magdi El Badry, Chairman & Managing Director of Kahraba.
“By operating the engines on locally available natural gas, the plant’s environmental footprint is reduced. The flexibility of the Wartsila engines will enable the system to incorporate increasing levels of energy from renewable sources,” Marc Thiriet, Director, Wartsila Energy, Africa West, said.
Egypt has set targets for renewables to comprise 42 percent of the country’s electricity mix by 2035, based on rapid solar and wind energy deployment.
Wartsila has earlier delivered a number of power generating projects for Kahraba and other subsidiaries of EKH. The extended Borg El Arab plant is expected to become fully operational in 2023.