Saudi Arabia’s power plants burn mainly oil and gas, but this year the Ministry of Electricity’s focus is likely to be on awarding contracts for nuclear and renewables projects, in a bid to reduce reliance on increasingly overstretched gas resources.
Riyadh’s power authority Ecra says that total generating capacity was 87.8GW at the end of 2016. Gas turbine and combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plants account for a total 58.2% of the capacity, while steam turbines, usually burning oil, account for 41%. Diesel burning plants, normally installed in remote areas away from grid links, account for less than 1% (see charts). (CONTINUED - 641 WORDS)
