Germany’s Siemens has begun testing the first 400MW gas turbine in what will become a 4.8GW combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant being built by Egypt’s Elsewedy 115km south of Cairo at Beni Suef. The plant’s generating units will be connected to the grid over the period 2017-20.

The Beni Suef plant will comprise eight 600MW generating units, each made up of a 400MW gas turbine/generator and a 200MW heat recovery steam generator. Similar projects are being built by Egypt’s Orascom, at Burullus near the mouth of the river Nile and at the site of what is intended to become a new administrative capital city 45km east of Cairo. They are also due online over 2017-20. Four 400MW gas turbines are expected to be running under test in open cycle mode at Beni Suef by the end of December, according to local newspaper Al Borsa. This month Siemens is also expected to begin testing four gas turbines at Burullus, while a similar test program is expected to begin at the new capital site in January. (CONTINUED - 879 WORDS)