An agreement was signed in Riyadh Wednesday for setting up an electricity generating plant in Wa'd Al-Shimal City south of Turaif in the Northern Border Province with a capacity of 1,390 megawatts at peak time. The cost of the project has reached SR3.677 billion, apart from the projects for linking the project with the power grid estimated at SR989 million. This brings the total cost to SR4.666 billion for setting up the power generating plant in Wa'd Al-Shimal, the electricity transforming projects and electricity link-up with the network, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said. In a statement to the press after signing of the agreement, Dr. Saleh Hussein Al-Awaji, undersecretary of the ministry of water and electricity for electricity affairs and chairman of the board of directors of Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), said the cost and importance of the Wa'd Al-Shimal power generating plant project comes in tandem with the state's aim to reduce the national economy's dependence on oil. It is also in conformity with the search for alternative sources of energy. Al-Awaji further said: "What is most important for us is that the Wa'd Al-Shimal power generating plant, which will be completed in 2018, will use ISCCP system and modern gas unit technologies in decreasing carbon emission and nitrogen oxides so as to put a limit to environmental pollution. Technologies for the production of electrical power from solar energy will also be used. This will contribute to the production of 50 megawatts of the total power generating capability at the plant, which ten would lead to saving four million barrels of fuel during the period of the project's work." Moreover, Al-Awaji said most of the materials, industries and services for setting up the project will be supplied by the local market. These products can compete against the known international factories. He said the project will provide promising job opportunities to the Saudi youth, who will be attracted and trained within the Kingdom and in international institutions in this field abroad. A team of Saudi engineers and technicians in SEC is receiving modern technical and technological training in the USA in preparation for operation and management of solar energy plants in the Kingdom. The first solar energy plant will be Dhiba Al-Khadra solar energy plant in Tabuk Province. It is expected to start production in 2017 with a total capacity of 600 megawatts of which 50 megawatts will be renewable energy. — SG
