Taiba 2 CCGT Project Achieves First Fire Milestone

The 1.8 GW Taiba 2 Combined-Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) Power Project in Saudi Arabia has achieved a major commissioning milestone with the successful first fire of Gas Turbine GT11, marking a significant step toward the project’s commercial operation.

The Taiba 2 Independent Power Project (IPP) was awarded by the Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) to a consortium comprising EDF, Al-Jomaih Energy and Water and Buhur for Investment. The project forms part of Saudi Arabia’s major IPP program aimed at expanding the Kingdom’s power generation capacity to meet growing electricity demand.

The first-fire milestone has been achieved by the Taiba 2 project team under the technical leadership of EDF, as part of the project’s commissioning and testing program.

The project is being developed with the support of key Saudi stakeholders, including SPPC as the Principal Buyer, the Ministry of Energy (MoE), the Saudi Energy Regulatory Authority (SERA), and the Local Content and Government Procurement Authority (LCGPA).

The successful first fire of GT11 represents a critical stage in the commissioning program and moves the Taiba 2 power plant closer to commercial operation. The milestone follows the completion of key construction and pre-commissioning activities required to bring the combined-cycle generation facility online.

With an installed capacity of approximately 1.8 GW, the Taiba 2 project is designed as a high-efficiency combined-cycle gas turbine power plant. Once operational, the facility will provide additional reliable electricity generation capacity and contribute to meeting the Kingdom’s growing power requirements.

A key feature of the project is its carbon-capture-ready design, allowing for the future integration of carbon capture technology. This capability is intended to support Saudi Arabia’s efforts to reduce emissions from the power sector and advance its broader carbon-management and carbon-economy objectives.

The development also supports the Kingdom’s local content objectives, creating opportunities for Saudi companies and strengthening domestic capabilities across the power generation and infrastructure supply chain.

The achievement of first fire at GT11 marks an important milestone in Saudi Arabia’s ongoing expansion of its modern power generation fleet and supports the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 by enhancing electricity supply capacity, developing local capabilities, and supporting the Kingdom’s long-term energy and infrastructure development goals.