Plant improvements boost Kuwait's power capacity

New improvements to Kuwait’s largest power plant have added about 10 percent of capacity to the nation’s grid, ensuring that the country is better able to meet peak electricity demand during the hot summer months.

The Sabiya plant recently activated six advanced-technology gas turbine-generators from GE that are producing nearly 1,400 megawatts of power to meet the nation’s growing energy needs.

Kuwait’s power demand is growing by around 7 to 10 percent per year. At this rate, the country estimates it will reach national peak load demand of 25,000 megawatts by 2025. GE has been working with the government to drive operational efficiencies and capacity enhancements in the nation’s energy infrastructure.

Owned by the government of Kuwait, Sabiya is the largest power plant in Kuwait and among the largest in the region. When the plant enters combined-cycle operation in 2012, the total plant output will be more than 2,000 megawatts. A combined-cycle plant boosts efficiency because waste heat is recovered from the exhaust of the gas turbine, converted to steam and then fed to a steam turbine to provide additional energy output.