Rolls-Royce to supply 12 mtu Kinetic PowerPacks for a supercomputing facility to Saudi Arabian university

• Complete turnkey solution, adapted to local conditions
• Order value in double-digit millions

Rolls-Royce is to supply twelve mtu Kinetic PowerPacks to King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia this summer. The systems, equipped with dynamically rotating kinetic energy accumulators, will be used to provide the university's supercomputing facility and data center with clean, conditioned, uninterruptible power supplies, acting as the energy backbone.

"We are delighted that such a renowned university as King Abdullah University for Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia has chosen us as a partner placing their confidence in our solutions, our expertise and our many years of experience. The choice underlines our recently expanded expertise in the field of dynamic uninterruptible power supplies and is a major success," explains Andreas Schell, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems. "We've been in discussions with the customer since 2016. We were able to fulfil all of the customer's wishes and requirements and thus put together a complete solution, that includes a substantial local content" adds Bernard Hanssens, Managing Director of the subsidiary in Dubai.

Each mtu Kinetic PowerPack type KP5 has a power output of 1.6 megawatts, operates in medium voltage at 13.8kV, 60Hz, and is powered by an mtu diesel engine type 16V 4000 G74S. These uninterruptible power supply systems are produced in Liège (Belgium), are then fitted into custom-made enclosures in the United Arab Emirates, and finally installed on site in Saudi Arabia. The systems are designed for humid ambient conditions and temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius. The scope of supply also includes medium-voltage switchgear and transformers as well as two control stations. The Rolls-Royce Power Systems team in the Middle East is expected to commission the turnkey plant at the end of 2021 and will be on hand to provide operational support for a further year, and remain available for long term service support throughout the life time of the installation. mtu Kinetic PowerPacks will be installed in two groups of 6 systems each, with one available as a back-up in each group. In the event of a power outage, the constantly rotating, heavy kinetic energy accumulator will drive the generator and bridge the few seconds until the diesel engine, which has started in the meantime, takes over.

King Abdullah University for Science and Technology King Abdullah University is a renowned high-tech seat of learning, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and one of the world's best supercomputing installations. The mtu Kinetic PowerPacks will be part of the Supercomputing facility upgrade.

Dynamic uninterruptible power supply systems have been part of the Rolls-Royce portfolio since the acquisition of Kinolt SA in July 2020. The company has already supplied several similar systems to the region, including Jeddah, Riyadh and Jubail in Saudi Arabia, as well as the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar. "The customer appreciated the value that our systems could offer them, amongst other the reduced footprint of our solution, the system performance in the very harsh local climatic conditions, and the ability to handle very large load fluctuations," reported Bernard Hanssens, Managing Director of Rolls-Royce Solutions Middle East.

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About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc

• Rolls-Royce pioneers the power that matters to connect, power and protect society. We have pledged to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions in our operations by 2030 [excluding product testing] and joined the UN Race to Zero campaign in 2020, affirming our ambition to play a fundamental role in enabling the sectors in which we operate achieve net zero carbon by 2050.
• Rolls-Royce Power Systems is headquartered in Friedrichshafen in southern Germany and employs around 9,000 people. The product portfolio includes mtu-brand high-speed engines and propulsion systems for ships, power generation, heavy land, rail and defence vehicles and for the oil and gas industry as well as diesel and gas systems and battery containers for mission critical, standby and continuous power, combined generation of heat and power, and microgrids.
• Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces and navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers.
• Annual underlying revenue was £11.76 billion in 2020 and we invested £1.25 billion on research and development. We also support a global network of 28 University Technology Centres, which position Rolls-Royce engineers at the forefront of scientific research.

For further information, please contact:
Rebecca Ralph
Taqarabu Hybrid Communications
E-mail: Rebecca.ralph@taqarabu.com 

© Press Release 2021