The new AED 2.1 bn expansion to the 1 GW Al Layyah power and desalination plant in Sharjah is now online after Sheikh Sultan Al Qasimi inaugurated the project yesterday, state news agency WAM reports. The plant constitutes 40% of Sharjah’s current electricity grid output.

More on the plant: Al Layyah project has a dual gas turbine with 345 MW capacity, two heat waste recovery boilers, and a steam turbine with 336 MW capacity. The plant is supposed to produce 1,026 MW worth of energy and has an operational efficiency of 58%. It is expected to reduce 2.2 tons of carbon emissions annually.

The contractors:Mitsubishi installed the M701F gas turbines mid-2022 and Egypt’s ElSewedyElectric installed the steam turbine just recently. In 2019, both those companies were awarded USD 550 mn EPC contract for this project.

Who financed the project? The Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Société Générale, ING Bank and Standard Chartered Bank provided the funds for Al Layyah station, with Japanese state-owned Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) providing the insurance cover, according to Power Technology.

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