Independent combined cycle plant begins operations in UAE
The Hamriyah independent power plant aims to add generating capacity while cutting carbon emissions by as much as 90%.
Overview
One of the first independent combined cycle power plants in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) began operations using GE Vernova technology and services aiming to reduce carbon emissions.
The challenge
When the UAE signed onto the Paris Agreement in 2016, it agreed to reduce its global greenhouse gas emissions by about 0.53%. In a region of the world known for its vast crude oil reserves, this proved to be a substantial challenge as UAE-based industries scrambled to find alternatives to the abundant fuel below the surface.
The solution
In the culmination of a multi-year project, all three blocks of the Hamriyah Independent Power Plant (IPP) began operation in October of 2023. The plant uses GE Vernova gas turbines and related equipment—as well as turnkey engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services—aiming to deliver cleaner, carbon-neutral electricity to the UAE.
Outcomes
How Hamriyah IPP reduces UAE’s carbon output
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We are delighted to have collaborated with industry-leading organizations such as… GE Vernova on this project, which is expected to help… [support] the UAE’s plan towards transitioning to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Saeed Sultan Al Suwaidi
Chairman, Sharjah Electricity, Water, and Gas Authority (SEWA)
When the United Arab Emirates (UAE) hosted the United Nations Climate Change Conference in November 2023 (aka COP28), it had some very good news to present to the assembly. The UAE’s first independent combined cycle gas power plant began operating only a month before.
Located within the Hamriyah power and desalination complex in the Emirate of Sharjah, the facility is touted as one of the most efficient gas plants in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. It uses natural gas supplied from the Sharjah National Oil Company (SNOC) and can also use liquified natural gas (LNG) supplied from SNOC and German state-owned company Uniper. Electricity generated at Hamriyah is transmitted to the 220kV Hamriyah substation on the plant’s boundary and then distributed to the rest of Sharjah.
GE Vernova has heavily invested in developing the MEA energy sector for decades and the Hamriyah power plant since Day One. Not only did GE Vernova’s Financial Services business work closely with Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation to finance the project, but GE Vernova’s H-class gas turbines, generators, steam turbines, and heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) comprise the plant’s internal mechanisms.
The beginning of operation at Hamriyah represents an important first step in efforts to add power capacity to the UAE while simultaneously addressing climate challenges.
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