Project will help SEC generate additional power without using significantly more fuel

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 6 May 2015 - Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has named Black & Veatch as Owner's Engineer for the Qassim II &III Conversion. The project will generate additional power without using significantly more fuel. This comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is seeking to improve its power generation efficiency.

Qassim Power Plant serves the people of Buraydah, the capital of Qassim region, in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula. The power plant is being expanded to meet the increasing demand of power in this region through a conversion from simple cycle operation to combined cycle operation.

"We are helping SEC enhance Qassim to meet the local community's increasing need for power," said Mazen Alami, Managing Director, Middle East at Black & Veatch.

"Black & Veatch is a recognized leader in the best practices and technology shaping power generation. In addition to helping the utility meet its goal of more efficient power generation infrastructure, our role will help develop local skills through knowledge transfer to SEC's engineers," he added.

The project will convert 12 oil fired simple cycle combustion turbines to combined cycle operation; this will increase generation capacity by approximately 360 MW. The conversion project was tendered on an engineer, procure, construct (EPC) basis. Black & Veatch's role is to work closely with SEC to provide engineering, procurement, and construction oversight and supervision and to provide theoretical and practical training for SEC engineers.

Black & Veatch has been serving the Middle East since 1920s, undertaking projects that enhance quality of life: power generation to support economic development, and water sanitation to improve health. Black & Veatch's energy business has been working in Saudi Arabia since the 1970s. Before the signing of the Qassim contract, the company's most recent work for SEC was Power Plant 3 (PP3) expansion project in Jeddah.

For more than 40 years Black & Veatch has executed owner's engineer and EPC projects in Saudi Arabia.

SEC was established in 2000, by merging all Saudi regional electricity companies into a single entity.

SEC provides power generation, transmission, distribution and customer services, either by itself or by its subsidiaries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Recent Black & Veatch projects in the Middle East include the 2X660 heavy fuel oil thermal power plant in Rabigh, Saudi Arabia, 430 MW and 69mld RO Salalah Independent Water and Power Project in Oman, and 2X150 ton-per-day sulphur recovery plant project, Sohar Refinery, Oman.

About Black & Veatch
Black & Veatch is an employee-owned, global leader in building Critical Human Infrastructure in Energy, Water, Telecommunications and Government Services. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people in over 100 countries through consulting, engineering, construction, operations and program management. Our revenues in 2014 were US$3 billion. Follow us on www.bv.com and in social media.

© Press Release 2015