Energy Projects - Ghorfa

Energy Projects
Partnerships and Perspectives of
Arab-German Cooperation
www.ghorfa.de

Energy Projects
Partnerships and Perspectives of
Arab-German Cooperation

Table of Contents
5
6
Prefaces
Dr. Philipp Rösler | Federal Minister of Economics and Technology
Thomas Bach | President, Abdulaziz Al-Mikhlafi | Secretary General
9
10
14
22
Conventional Energy
Shoaiba Stage III gears up for the summer peak operation
Efficiency Improvements Using Heat Recovery Systems for Conventional Power Plants
Decentralized Power Generation in Combination with Heat and Cold Supply
27
28
32
35
38
41
43
46
50
Renewable Energy
Solar Thermal Power Plants – Egypt’s Kom Ombo and Others
Shams One – 100 MW Concentrated Solar Power Plant
AlSol – Feasibility for a Solar Thermal Tower Power and Gas Turbine Plant in Algeria
The Value of Renewable Energies in the MENA Region
Masdar’s 100 MW Noor 1 Photovoltaic Project
Sustainable Energy for Remote Radio Towers in Algeria
Wind Energy in Libya
First Larger Scale Wind Park Projects in Sudan
53
54
58
62
64
Power, Transmission and Distribution
Electricity Interconnection Projects among Arab Countries
Smart Grids – Powering a Cleaner Energy Future
Qatar Grid Expansion Project
Market Introduction of Innovative Mast Solutions in the Middle East
69
70
74
78
81
84
Energy Efficiency
Energy Efficiency in the Construction Sector in the Mediterranean
Innovation through Tradition and Technology
Energy Efficiency with AAC Building Materials
Meeting the Challenges of Thermal Insulation at the SOFITEL Hotel, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai
Energy Efficiency and Climate Change Mitigation: Triple Win for the Water Authority of Jordan
89
90
93
Water, Desalination and Irrigation
The Naga Hammadi Barrage on the River Nile
Algerian Desalination Market Update
96
97
99
102
105
Special Topics
Market Development and Business Opportunities in the Power Sector of Saudi Arabia
Renewable Energy Finance – Bringing the Private Sector in
Knowledge for the Desert – A Euro-Mediterranean Partnership on Science and Energy
The Industrial Consortium Dii: Building a Sustainable Energy Future on the Basis of the Desertec Vision
108
List of Contributors

Message of Greeting
Economic relations between Germany and the Arab region are experiencing
a high level of momentum. This is true for the energy sector as well.
When it comes to energy, German companies offer an abundance of innovative
technologies, products and services at competitive conditions. This
new business guide to the energy sector, which is published by the Ghorfa
Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, provides an attractive
and easy-to-understand overview of Germany’s expertise in this area,
including specific examples of projects that German firms have implemented
in numerous Arab countries.
It is our aim to ensure that cooperation between Germany and the Arab
world remains very close in the future. Major opportunities exist in areas
such as the expansion of renewable energy, the modernisation of power
grids, and the improvement of energy efficiency. Within the framework of
our own efforts to transform Germany’s energy supply, the German government
has adopted ambitious targets in all three of these key areas. We
now want to achieve these targets in an economically viable way, so that
Germany can become one of the most energy-efficient and climatefriendly
economies in the world without compromising competitiveness
and prosperity. Working together in partnership with the countries of the
Arab world can contribute to this goal.
Dr. Philipp Rösler
That’s why we work to promote the business activities of German companies
in the Arab region by creating a positive policy environment and by
providing support for promising projects – for example, we are setting up
bilateral energy partnerships that will intensify energy sector cooperation
to the benefit of all sides.
I am convinced that Arab-German energy relations will generate tremendous
economic opportunities in the future. In this spirit, I wish all of the
companies involved in these projects continued success in developing
profitable business initiatives.
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Philipp Rösler | Federal Minister of Economics and Technology
Preface | Dr. Philipp Rösler
4 | 5

Dear Reader
We are pleased to present you the first detailed publication on Arab-German
cooperation in the field of energy. This book highlights some of the
most interesting and promising projects in the Arab World in which German
companies are participating.
The energy sector is a main sector for Arab-German business relations.
While German companies traditionally have been key suppliers for conventional
power plants in Arab countries, the cooperation extended to the field
of renewable energies in recent years. This is due to the high number of
projects in this business area stretching all over the Arab world, from Abu
Dhabi’s Masdar City to Kuraymat in Egypt and Desertec’s project of reference
in Morocco, with German companies participating in all of these projects.
Growing demand and growing production necessitates the development
and extension of transmission and distributional networks across
the Arab world, such as the GCC power grid.
Closely linked to all of these projects is the question of energy efficiency.
In times of growing demand and costs of energy production, the best way
to save the environment is to avoid excessive consumption. Therefore,
numerous projects of green building and energy-saving measures are on
the agenda in the Arab world. German companies are taking a leading role
in this regard, for instance in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
More efficient desalination plants are of high importance. German
companies lead in the fields of evaporation technology and reverse osmosis.
Water, irrigation and desalination technologies remain among the priorities
of Arab-German cooperation.
The Ghorfa Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry has
been active in encouraging Arab-German cooperation in the energy sector.
The first Arab-German Energy Forum in October 2010 in Berlin
attracted more than 300 decision-makers from both sides. A recently
signed cooperation agreement between Ghorfa and the Desertec Industrial
Initiative and the Ghorfa working group “Energy” are constantly pursuing
better exchange and coordination concerning Arab-German energy
cooperation.
We sincerely thank Mr Thomas Kraneis, Executive Director Customer
Relationship Management of Lahmeyer International, and Mr Jürgen
Hogrefe, General Manager of h. c. hogrefe consult, for their input and their
contribution to this volume. We would further like to thank Ms Rafaela
Aguilera Alvarez, Ms Traudl Kupfer, Mr Clemens Recker, Ms Nicola Höfinghoff
and Ms Anhar Al-Shamahi for their work and effort to realize this
book project.
We wish you an informative and instructive reading and hope to see
you at one of our energy-related activities.
Dr. Thomas Bach
Thomas Bach | President
Abdulaziz Al-Mikhlafi | Secretary General
Abdulaziz Al-Mikhlafi
Preface | Dr. Thomas Bach, Abdulaziz Al-Mikhlafi
6 | 7

Conventional Energy
Despite the growth in alternative energy solutions, conventional energy
remains for the time being the prime source of power and electricity in the
Arab world and in Germany. Oil and gas still made up more than 90 per cent of
primary energy consumption in the Arab world in 2010. The cooperation
between Germany and the Arab world has a long and successful history with
German companies being involved in a number of promising projects.
A number of modern oil- and gas-fired plants have been built by German
companies in Arab countries who also seek to introduce new technologies such
as heat recovery systems and co- and trigeneration. Due to industrial
diversification and population growth, the demand for energy and electricity is
set to sharply increase in Arab countries, which in turn necessitates the
build-up of conventional as well as alternative energy production plants.
This chapter highlights some of the latest developments and technologies in
Arab-German conventional energy cooperation and presents selected projects
of reference.
Conventional Energy
8 | 9

Shoaiba Stage III
gears up for the summer peak operation
Alstom Power
Marc Villemin | Project Director
The first unit of the Shoaiba III project is expected to start delivering power this summer.
The start-up will be the culmination of what has been a huge effort to shorten the construction/
commissioning schedule of the latest stage of Saudi Arabia’s largest power plant.
Located on the banks of the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia is the Kingdom’s
largest power plant. The Shoaiba power project already
has an installed capacity of 4,400 MW from its first two stages,
and the addition of Stage III will increase this capacity to
5,600 MW. The Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), a majority
state-owned corporation, owns the Shoaiba power plant.
The plant is of tremendous importance. It provides electricity
in the western grid of Saudi Arabia including the holy city of
Makkah. With Ramadan starting August 1, 2011, and then occurring
in the summer for the next few years, the area will have an
even greater demand for power during the hot summers due to
air conditioning needs.
Shoaiba is a huge and ongoing development. The contract for
the first three oil-fired 400 MW units of Stage I was signed in
1998. In phase 2 of this first stage two further units have been
added, giving Stage I a generating capacity of 2,000 MW from
five units. Following completion of Stage I in 2003, Alstom
signed a contract in March 2004 for the construction of Stage II
(Phases 1 and 2) for another 6 × 400 MW units, bringing the total
output of the plant to 4,400 MW.
Four years later, in 2008, the contract for Stage III was
awarded. Stage III will supply three more 400 MW units. This
contract includes designing, manufacturing, supplying, constructing,
installing, commissioning, and testing of the entire
plant, including boilers, STF40 steam turbines, GIGATOP 2-pole
turbogenerators, sea-water flue gas desulphurization systems
for the removal of SO 2 , and the complete balance of plant and
systems for the three units. The consortium partner, Saudi
Archirodon, was to carry out all the associated civil works.

The Shoaiba power plant
Unit design
The Shoaiba power plant is about 100 km south of Jeddah. It is
in a flat coastal desert area that is exposed to extreme temperatures
ranging from 15 °C to 55 °C and a relative humidity of
100 % that can occur any time of the year.
In addition to providing power for the region, the plant also
provides a small amount of desalinated water for the process
and small community buildings that house the operation and
maintenance team. There is no commercial export of water outside
the plant.
On completion of Stage III, the power station will consist of a
total of 14 × 400 MW units. The units for Stage III have the same
design as the existing units. Each unit comprises a steam turbine
and a two-pressure reheat boiler capable of burning crude
or heavy fuel oil. The fuel for the boilers comes predominantly
from Yanbu & Rabigh, western coastal cities of the Kingdom, by
sea tankers to the port of the plant.
The controlled circulation boilers feature a reheater for the
steam expanded in the HP turbine and an economiser, which
heats the feedwater before it enters the steam drum and cools
the flue gas before entering a regenerative air pre-heater.
The boilers also use tangential firing with over-fire air to
reduce NOx. Each boiler generates 1,250 t/h of steam at pressures
of 172 and 40 bar, and temperatures of 541 °C and 539 °C. The generated
high-pressure steam is expanded in a three-casing steam
turbine and condensed in a seawater-cooled condenser at a pressure
of 90 mbar. Extraction water is then heated through seven
heaters (four LP, feedwater tank, and two HP heaters). The steam
turbine is coupled to a generator that has a rating of 510 MVA
and a terminal voltage of 24 kV. This terminal voltage is transformed
up to 380 kV for dispatch to the 60 Hz Saudi Western
grid.
Stage III will be fitted with flue gas desulphurization (FGD)
equipment to reduce sulphur emissions resulting from burning
oil. The FGD system is a wet SWFGD system that uses seawater to
capture the sulphur dioxide in the flue gas.
Construction
Apart from the FGD plant, Stage III is a repeat concept of the
first two stages – the main difference of Stage III will be the use
of current technology and balance-of-plant equipment that is
available today. This called for some degree of re-engineering
of, for example, cabling and piping. It will also have a new distributed
plant control system, and accordingly new equipment
interfaces.
Nevertheless, the ‘repeat effect’ has allowed some time saving
on the manufacture of the steam turbines and boilers and is
enabling Alstom to deliver an optimised schedule. But perhaps
the major factor in making short lead-times possible has been
the Plant Integrator TM approach. As a company with EPC expertise,
which designs and manufactures all the major plant components
in-house, Alstom was able to design and manufacture
components to fit in with EPC tasks in order to produce the optimum
overall time schedule.
Conventional Energy | Shoaiba Stage III
10 | 11

The project has moved along at a tremendous pace. From the
outset, the optimised schedule called for close coordination
between the companies involved, in Germany, in France, in
India and various other locations around the globe. The prefabrication
subcontractor was also kept closely in the loop in order
to mobilise the required additional resources under the supervision
of Alstom’s construction team in Saudi. This allowed the
piping to be pre-fabricated in Saudi, 1,200 km away from
Shoaiba, and transported to site together with the required
pipe supports by the end of November 2009.
The plant is contracted to start-up the first unit on 1 September
2011, but the time limit could even be undershot, and the
first unit started up three month earlier, in June 2011 closely followed
by the other units. This compressed schedule allows SEC
to have additional capacity on line by the summer during the
hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca.
It is a big task that has required some logistical gymnastics.
Having reached a sufficient quantity of deliveries at site, in order
to ensure continuous operations, the carbon steel piping erection
was started around four weeks ahead of schedule. The next
step was to start the HP piping erection in the power block with
piping material delivered from Korea and Germany, as well as
the HP piping erection in the boiler area with piping material
delivered from the Czech Republic.
The boiler drum was shipped from Canada to Jeddah and
then taken 120 km by road to reach the Shoaiba site. However, in
order to remain on schedule, the project team arranged for the
211.75 tons drum to be shipped by special train to the port of
export even though the structure was only about 95 % complete.
This was done in order to ensure the vessel could be carried by
one of the special ships needed for such a structure. The Saudi
Flag ships only offer one route a month to Jeddah, and the team
did not want to lose a month off the schedule by having to wait
until the boiler drum was complete.
The remaining construction required on the boiler drum,
limited to drum internals, was carried out by the project team
on site. As the boiler drum is a key component in the sequencing
of the high pressure piping erection, keeping it on schedule was
vital.
Another major component of the steam and water cycle of
the plant is the condenser. After the unit was delivered in February
2010 the site team successfully initiated the assembly of the
Shoaiba Stage III

Communication is key
condenser following insertion of the LP#1 (low pressure heater)
to the neck section for Unit 14 in March 2010.
Shoaiba III uses the steam surface condenser consisting of a
shell-tube heat exchanger (a large pressure vessel containing
tubes to transfer heat between two fluids), which is commonly
used in most power plants.
The condenser recuperates the steam exhaust from the turbine
through condensation or heat exchange and returns the
condensate back to the boiler to complete the steam-water cycle.
In addition, the condenser acts as the main component to
increase the efficiency of the steam turbine by lowering the
back-pressure, thus, reducing the steam flow for a given output.
The first steam turbine delivery – one of three STF40 backpressure
type steam turbines that make up the turbine set for
Unit 14 – was received at the site in April 2010, a full seven
months ahead of schedule. The turbine includes high pressure,
medium pressure, and low-pressure turbines manufactured by
Alstom’s factory in Belfort, France, with components also coming
from factories in Poland and Switzerland.
The team planned and coordinated transport arrangements
to secure a fast-track delivery of the turbine in just 29 days as
compared to an initial forecast of 60 days, which included shipping
to Jeddah followed by 120 km road transport to the plant. In
addition, everything had to be prepared on site in advance so
that on arrival, key components could be immediately placed in
position mitigating any requirements for storage.
This could only be achieved through the co-operation of all
the teams involved including the transportation team. Together,
they were able to gain another month ahead of the contracted
schedule.
The next step was the completion of the Unit 14 final assembly
of the complete turbine and one GIGATOP generator. Meeting
the best effort schedule has provided the biggest challenge
in the project.
Yet the best laid plans can be subject to unforeseen circumstances.
Just before Ramadan 2010, an incident occurred on the
generator of Unit 7 (Shoaiba Stage II), SEC requested immediate
help and support, which meant that the generator rotor from
Unit 14 had to be transferred to Unit 7 in order to keep it on line.
Unit 7 could be put back successful on line, but the incident
meant that meeting the best effort schedule was made even
more difficult.
The project team had to take the generator rotor from Unit 13
and install it in Unit 14. Unit 13 was installed with the generator
rotor of the Unit 7, which has been repaired at Birr factory in the
meantime. Unit 12 will have the generator rotor manufactured
for the same Unit. This innovative thinking allowed a substantial
part of the lost time to be recovered.
Completing such a big project to a demanding schedule
requires even greater team spirit than on typical projects, as
well as more detailed follow-up than usual. It was important
for team members to get to know each other at work and even
on a personal level in order to foster good communication and
fast problem solving.
Good communication and fast information flow between
teams is essential. To this end, there were weekly meetings, conference
calls, and daily meetings between specialists in key
areas.
With the teams spread all over the world, this approach was
even more critical. The project has been pulled together from a
truly international team. The boiler team is in the US, the Turbines
are from Poland and France, the generator from Switzerland
and Poland, all managed by Germany, the engineering team
in India and France, the purchasing team spread between Dubai,
Malaysia, and France (Belfort); the transport team in Switzerland
(Baden), the management team in Belfort, and contractual support
from the UK.
As part of a consortium, it was also crucial for the supervising
management to have open communication and understanding
with its civil consortium partner so that decisions could be
made immediately.
Of course, a good communication and team spirit with SEC
was also a key factor for success.
Back on track
The open dialogue that has characterised the management of
Shoaiba Stage III will be important in the run-up to the summer
start-up target.
The race is now on to get back on track to get as close as possible
to the best effort schedule.
First firing of Unit 14 was planned for 1 December 2010 and
despite the delay due to the loan to SEC of a generator rotor, this
was achieved on 20 December. Synchronization was successfully
achieved in April 2011, six weeks ahead of contractual schedule.
The ambitious target has been an approximately two-month
interval between the subsequent units to follow the first Unit.
Despite the generator setback, the second unit was fired for the
first time in March 2011, which meant that the project team was
hitting its best effort schedule. The first two units started commercial
operation by producing their total 800 MW output by
mid June 2011 and the last unit was synchronized on 29 July, a
full year in advance of the schedule.
Team spirit, cooperation and full support of the client, SEC,
resulted in a ‘best effort schedule’ in the end.
(The article first appeared in the Modern Power Systems)
Conventional Energy | Shoaiba Stage III
12 | 13

Delivered and stored flue gas cooler modules
Efficiency Improvements
Using Heat Recovery Systems for
Conventional Power Plants
Babcock Borsig Steinmüller (BBS)
Bernhard Michels | Managing Director and
Frank Adamczyk | Head of Heat Recovery Department
In times of fuel shortage and tight economical circumstances the competition
between power plant operators is even more fierce. In order to meet these market challenges
a scheduled and ensured plant runtime is a precondition for conventional power plants.
Due to the fuel price development this also applies to the Arab states increasingly.
In addition to economical aspects the protection of the environment
is considered as a decisive factor in securing our
future. A use of non-renewable resources that is free of pollution
is essential to achieve these aims.
It is a main interest of the energy producers to operate
power plants as long and efficiently as possible. Modernisation
and retrofits, like heat recovery, gain a new significance in this
context as these means reduce pollutants quite effectively or
increase the efficiency.
With an integrated heat recovery system the runtime of an
existing power plant can be extended significantly. The heat
recovery system uses the heat downstream of the electric precipitator
and upstream of the flue gas desulphurization to be
used i. e. for air preheating or condensate preheating. This
method increases the efficiency of a power plant up to 3 %, the
so-called “Green Megawatts”. The system was developed by the
heat recovery department of Babcock Borsig Steinmüller,
which belongs to the Bilfinger Berger Power Service Group.
Meanwhile it is described worldwide as “Best Available Technology”
(BAT) in modern fossil new built power plants.
In the following example of the fossil fired Mehrum power
plant (750 MW el ) a further operation of another 25 years was the
pre-condition to examine four different alternatives for heat
recovery and finally, to integrate an individually modified heat
recovery system. This paper describes the integration of the
system in the existing power plant, in particular the planning,
realisation and operation of the plant with “air preheating by
using flue gas waste heat”. Additionally it points out economical
advantages due to savings of primary energy and trading
with CO 2 emission rights, which might be the basis for installing
similar applications in the Arab states.

Life-time evaluation
Advanced heat recovery from flue gases
International conferences on service life assessment and service
life extension of power plants show that there are considerations
to operate power plant units 15–25 years exceeding their
design period. A service life assessment including the investigation
of the required measures for NOx reduction, desulphurization
and CO 2 reduction is an alternative to the construction
of a new plant. Moreover, this investigation and the resulting
implemented measurements can increase the plant reliability.
Life-time evaluation can base upon:
1 Assessment of actual conditions
2 Re-calculation of the critical components
3 Local visual inspection and tests
– Replica test
– Magnetic-particle test
– Liquid-penetrate test
– US test
– Wall thickness measurement
– Circumference measurement
– Ovality measurement
– X-ray test
4 Determination of the relevant operating data
5 Calculation of exhaustion in case of creep rupture stress
6 Calculation of exhaustion in case of cyclic stressing
7 Calculation of the overall exhaustion in case of creep
rupture and cyclic stressing
The efficiency of existing coal fired power plants can be
increased decisively by upgrading with modern equipment.
Common measures are for example retrofit actions on the
steam generator, turbine or steam/water circuit, improvement
of monitoring and control systems as well as reduction of internal
energy consumption.
However, the formation of highly corrosive acids during
cooling of flue gases is a limiting factor in utilization of waste
heat for a further efficiency improvement. For example, a common
technology is that hot flue gas arriving from the air preheater
is immediately conducted to wet flue gas desulphurization
(FGD) via an electrostatic precipitator and then, purified,
directly discharged into the cooling tower without reheating.
As a rule, the flue gas inlet temperature is clearly higher than
the absorber’s operating temperature to avoid corrosion problems
in the ducts. The excess heat is normally wasted by
quenching with water in the FGD.
Babcock Borsig Steinmüller GmbH, has developed the POW-
ERISE® heat recovery systems to utilize these excess heat
potentials for increasing the power plant efficiency.
Final remarks concerning life-time evaluations
A remaining life assessment means the summary evaluation of:
– Determination of the static exhaustion
– Determination of the dynamic exhaustion
– Results of the non-destructive tests
– Results of the destructive tests
On the basis of the above mentioned tests and results a recommendation
is given which represents
A necessary measurements
B replacement of damaged components
C estimation of residual operating period left
D optimisation of starting procedures
and load change parameters
If the power plant can be operated several years further according
to the results of the remaining life study, we recommend
the installation of a heat recovery system. This was executed in
the Mehrum power plant as described below.
Figure 1:
Acid Condensation in the Flue Gas Cooler
Here, the approach is the application of special corrosion
resistant heat exchangers to cool down the flue gases before
the FGD well below the acid dew point, thus minimizing the
heat wasting by quenching to a minimum. The heat exchanger
is built of smooth fluoroplastic G-FLON (featuring high corrosion
resistance) tubes arranged in a U-tube configuration. They
are bundled in compact individual modules and fitted from
above into a rectangular; also corrosion protected casing as
part of the ductwork. In the heat exchanger the heat is transmitted
to water, which serves as the heat transfer medium.
The recovered heat can then be used in other power plant
processes such as condensate and/or air preheating, feedwater
preheating, or district heating. The efficiency improvement
generally results from saving valuable heating steam which
can be further used by the turbine.
Conventional Energy | Heat Recovery Systems
14 | 15

The degree of efficiency improvement resulting from these
heat recovery systems is basically dependent on a well thermodynamic
layout and design of the system itself as well as an
accurate overall-analysis of its implementation into the power
plant process. This is especially important for supplementary
system integration in existing power plants for retrofit.
System analysis and optimisation at the
Mehrum power plant
Within a planned steam turbine upgrade, the possibilities for an
implementation of a heat recovery system have been analysed
and different solutions have been compared at the Mehrum
power plant concerning efficiency increase and profitability.
The power plant ran with medium load operation characterised
by daily shutdowns and start-ups. There were two flue gas
lines, each with a separate wet flue gas desulphurization. In the
first line the flue gases were given directly into the absorber;
the flue gas temperature of about 150 °C is decreased by
quenching. In the second line a regenerative gas/gas heat
exchanger is installed between inlet and outlet of the FGD for
heat displacement from raw gas to clean gas. Past the absorbers
the cold clean gases in line 1 and the reheated ones of line 2
are mixed to reach the required flue gas temperature in the
stack. Following this, an unused heat potential before the FGD
in line 1 was available for heat recovery.
Kraftwerk Mehrum GmbH and Babcock Borsig Steinmüller
GmbH evaluated that a minimum flue gas inlet temperature of
85 °C after the flue gas cooler is possible considering the water
balance of the FGD. Thus, a heat potential of about 30 MW th can
be recovered by cooling down the flue gases in line 1.
Kraftwerk Mehrum GmbH operated a steam/air preheater
before the regenerative Ljungstroem air preheater. This generally
supports special load cases such as very low air inlet temperatures
(in winter) or at start-ups and prevents corrosion at
the cold flue gas end of the regenerative air preheater. However,
in the Mehrum power plant the steam/air preheater is nearly
continuously in operation due to the problematic coal. Thus,
besides the condensate preheaters, the air preheating before
the regenerative preheaters has been considered as a possible
heat sink for the heat recovery system.
Four different alternatives for heat recovery have been examined:
A Condensate preheating
The extracted heat is transferred to a condensate preheater.
It is switched in a bypass to the existing LP2 preheater and
takes over part of its heat flow.
B Combined condensate and air preheating (One cycle)
The heat recovery cycle is designed preferably for air preheating.
In case the heat flow needed at the air preheater is
lower than the out-coupled one, the excess heat is transferred
via a three-wa y valve to the condensate preheater
bypassing the existing LP1 preheater.
C Combined condensate and air preheating (Two cycles)
Via two separate heat recovery cycles condensate and air
preheating is possible. The first stage flue gas cooler is for
the condensate preheating cycle because of the higher temperature
level needed. Herewith the condensate preheater
LP3 is bypassed. The second stage flue gas cooler is integrated
in the air preheating cycle.
D Air preheating
The extracted heat is transferred to the water/air preheaters.
The following table gives an overview on the relevant data of
the different alternatives. Based on the same total heat recovery
in each case, the recovered heat has been transferred to
miscellaneous heat sinks. The increase in electricity generation
achieved is then dependent on the electrical efficiency of the
steam recovered at the substituted condensate or air preheater.
A Condensate preheating B Combined (one cycle) C Combined (two cycles) D Air Preheating
Heat Recovery [MW th ] 30 30 30 30
condensate air side heat transfer [MW th ] 30 | – 6 | 24 6 | 24 – | 30
electrical efficiency of steam recovered
(condensate/air side)
max. increase
in electricity generation
mid. increase
in electricity generation
[%] 14,72 | – 5.6 | 24.0 21.8 | 24.0 – | 24.0
[MW el ] 4.4 6.1 7.1 7.2
[MW el ] 4.4 5.5 6.5 6.5
operation mode (range of thermal
power usage during running time)
[-]
continuous
(100 % | – %)
discontinuous
(100 % | 90 %)
discontinuous
(100 % | 90 %)
discontinuous
(– % | 90 %)
absolute investment cost [%] 100 115 133 89
specific investment cost per MW el [%] 100 92 90 60

Realisation
The given percentage means the fraction of thermal energy
converted in the turbine/generator to electricity. It can be
determined by energy balances comparing the condensate/air
preheater and turbine/condensator enthalpy differences.
Furthermore, the operation mode of the heat recovery system
has to be considered. Whereas the heat recovery system
for pure condensate preheating can be applied about 100% of
the power plant operation time, the other concepts with air
preheating have a discontinuous performance characteristic
because of the temporally varying load of the air preheaters.
Thus, the mid increase in electricity generation averaged over
the year is somewhat lower than the maximum possible
increase. The final evaluation of the profitability of the different
heat recovery systems was done by the operator considering
operation mode and time dependent load of the components.
In the Mehrum case, the heat recovery system for single
air preheating turned out to be the most efficient and most
profitable solution. Following table shows the boundary conditions
of the realisation:
Heat recovery [MW th ] 30
Increase in electricity generation [MW el ] 6,5
Per cent increase electricity generation [%] 0,9
Increase of power plant efficiency [%-points] 0,37
Reduction of CO 2 emissions [t/ a (max)] 33.000
Fuel saving (hard coal) [t/ a (max)] 12.250
Babcock Borsig Steinmüller GmbH was commissioned with the
heat recovery retrofit at the Mehrum power plant in October
2002. The contract was made on turn-key basis. Besides the
several heat exchangers on flue gas side, on air side and on
water side, this includes all disassembly, all assembly, delivery
and assembly of pipe work, system technology of the water
cycle, insulation and basic engineering for the control system.
A further request of Kraftwerk Mehrum GmbH was the integration
of the heat recovery control system into the main control
system of the power plant.
The plant was shut down from end of May 2003 to mid-July
2003 for the erection. The time being until commissioning was
less than 10 months.
Activities prior the power plant shutdown (January – May 2003)
In order to meet the tight schedule, the site was already
installed in January 2003. All work which did not require the
shutdown of the power plant was carried out in advance.
Babcock Borsig Steinmüller GmbH assembled approximately
140 tons of pipe work. The main cycle was carried out DN 400
size. A new platform was integrated into the steelwork in the
boiler house for the components of the water cycle. This included
the installation of the pump station, dosing station, pressure
control station, steam heater and the bypass control valve.
Figure 2:
Concepts for heat recovery
A Condensate Preheating
B Combined Condensate and Air Preheating (One heat transfer cycle)
C Combined Condensate and Air Preheating (Two heat transfer cycles)
D Air Preheating
Conventional Energy | Heat Recovery Systems
16 | 17

In May 2002, the complete water cycle with by-passes around
the flue gas cooler and around the four air preheater could
already be commissioned and had successfully been approved
by TÜV. At the same time the full plastic heat exchanger modules
of the flue gas cooler were delivered to site and storaged
outside on the power plant area.
All above described erection activities proceeded without
any negative impact on the operation of the power plant.
Activities during the power plant shutdown (28 May – 16 July)
The power plant was shut down on 28 May 2002. This was the
beginning of seven weeks hard work in two shifts. During this
period disassembly and assembly work were required in the
boiler house and in the FGD building which had to be coordinated
with different further activities in that area, like the
refurbishment of the ductwork in FGD Unit 2. Major activities
in this period were:
– Disassembly of approx. 50 t of flue gas ductwork
– Assembly of more than 60 t of casing and ductwork
– Foil lining of 300 m² area by G-FLON fluor plastic foil
– Renewal of four air preheaters with an overall weight of
more than 160 t
– Installation of air preheater pipe work
– Assembly of five flue gas cooler moduls into the casing.
Particularly concerning the time schedule, the erection was a
“precision landing”.
heater. This bypass operation proceeded successfully. The pipe
work of the flue gas cooler was installed during operation of
the power plant.
The following weekend shutdown was used to integrate the
flue gas cooler into the water cycle. From this moment the air
preheating was implemented by using waste heat from the flue
gas. The previously used steam was saved.
This first operation time was also used to analyse the exact
noise spectrum of the cooler and to decide on counter measures.
The success of counter measures is much higher if it is
based on practical measurements instead of theoretical calculation.
To install the anti-noise sheets into their exact positions
a weekend shutdown could be used.
All in all the commissioning of the POWERISE® heat recovery
system took place without essential problems during August
2002 due to the detailed planning, expediting and the good cooperation
of all involved parties.
Performance and benefits
of the heat recovery system
Performance
The performance data of the heat recovery system are shown
in the figure 4. To consider dust contaminated heat exchanger
surfaces the performance test was carried out after three
months operation time. The performance test approved the
warranted characteristics of the system.
Figure 3:
Inlet Cross Section of Flue Gas Cooler after assembly
Commissioning of the power plant with POWERISE®
heat recovery system
After seven weeks of revision shutdown, the commissioning of
the power plant including the new water cycle started on 16
July 2002. Kraftwerk Mehrum GmbH could restart the power
plant already on 21 July 2002. During the first two weeks the
heat recovery system operated via bypass around the flue gas
cooler. The cycle water was heated by the steam heater and the
air preheating was realised by the new water heated air pre-
Recovered Heat ≈ 30 MW th
additional electrical output ≈ 6,5 Mw el – net efficiency increase of ≈ + 0,37 %-Points
saving in fuel consumption ≈ 11.570 tSKE/a
resulting CO 2 -Emission reduction ≈ 31.000 tCO 2 /a
based on net performance von 3.400 GWh/a
Figure 4:
Combustion air Preheating by Heat Recovery (100 % Load)
Operating behavior
Besides the increase of the power plant performance the automation
of the startup ensured a more convenient startup of
the air preheaters and a more constant regulation of the flue
gas outlet temperature downstream of the main air heater.

A constant flue gas outlet temperature ensures dry conditions
in the air heater and therefore, reduces the fouling of the air
heater. The operation of the first six months already proved
that for this reason the automation increases the operation
time between shutdowns that are required by the main air
heater.
In the main load cases the air preheating is realised completely
by using flue gas heat from the full plastic flue gas
cooler. During startup, shutdown and “light load” the heat is
partly provided by the steam heater which is part of the water
cycle.
Benefits
Benefits of the heat recovery system:
be identified in advance and have to be adapted to individually.
At Mehrum power plant the operator and the supplier of the
system cooperated closely in order to optimise the flue gas
cooler system regarding the following items:
Cleaning of the heat exchanger surface
After one year of operation on the highest and on the lowest
spacer level accommodations of dust were identified. All other
spacers stayed clean because they have been cleaned automatically.
Modifications on the highest and the lowest spacer level
were retrofitted with sprayer level. This modification was successful
and after further operation the cleaning effect had been
reached at all spacer levels.
– Recovered heat 30 MW th
– Resulting additional electrical output 6.5 MW el
– Increase of overall efficiency 0.37%, abs.
– Saving of hard coal 12,250 t SKE/a
– Reduction of CO 2 emissions 33,000 t CO 2 /a
Cost and realisation:
– Cost, turn key 4.7 million Euros
– Duration of shutdown 7 weeks
– Total realisation time 10 month
Figure 5:
Highest spacer level
Without sprayer level
Highest spacer level
With sprayer level
The balance of the reduction of CO 2 emissions results from the
following method:
1 Theoretical thermodynamic calculation of the additional
electrical output which is equivalent to the recovered heat.
2 Recalculation of fuel consumption based on result of 1., specifically
per MW el and conversion into CO 2 emission values.
3 The recovered heat is continuously measured and recorded.
The total of the year is converted according to 2. into the
reduction of CO 2 emissions.
The Return on Investment (calculation based on fuel saving
and interests of 12 %) amounts to approx. eight years. Further
returns were realised by selling parts of the emission rights. In
case of Mehrum this happened within the “Hessen Tender”. The
evaluation was executed according to the method described
above and approved by the German TÜV.
Operation experience
The operation of the power plant with the integrated heat
recovery system began in September 2003. The installed system
provided all warranted performance and availability characteristics.
However, each power plant has individual frame
conditions and therefore, not all influences from operation can
Tightness of the casing
At the sealing area between modules and casing a too high flue
gas emission was detected. In order to homogenise the pressure
on the sealing an additional pressure point was installed.
In addition the sealing material was changed from PTFE to a
rubber type. After that the specified values of flue gas tightness
were verified.
Tightness of the tubes
The record of the make-up water supply indicated leakages of
pressure tubes which had to be plugged or repaired in greater
numbers than expected.
The local gas velocities were investigated by a computer flow
model. This indicated too high velocity vectors crosswise to the
main flow direction. They were caused by the upstream fan,
which produced a swirl flow. By assembling flow straightener
plates into the fan the swirl and further tube damages could be
nearly avoided.
After seven years of operation the number of damaged
tubes is below 2 %.
Conventional Energy | Heat Recovery Systems
18 | 19

Mounting of the anti noise plates
In order to minimize the acoustic noise anti-noise plates made
from PTFE were installed. Due to the gas flow these PTFE-Plates
were partly unhooked, which caused tube damages. This problem
could be settled by a modified fixing of the plates and with
the above mentioned flow straightener plates of the booster fan.
raised by 35 MW el . and the overall efficiency increase could be
verified as shown in the following figure. In addition, the
installed POWERISE® system is easy to maintain as even after
seven years of operation the number of damaged tubes is
below 2%.
Corrosion protection of the casing
The flue gas cooler casing and the outlet hood were protected
against corrosion by a fluor plastic lining with a thickness of
1.5 mm. In the bottom area local damages of the foil material
produced several flue gas leakages below the foil which caused
corrosion of the casing at the affected areas. The affected areas
of the casing were renewed and the foil protection in these
areas was executed in a modified manner with an increased
thickness, an increased number of fixing points and in addition
with a flake protection of the casing below the foil. With
these modifications no further problems occurred.
Summary of operating experience
To ensure the positive operation experience the heat recovery
system requires a periodical control (ideally once a year) especially
regarding the functionality of the cleaning system and
the record of the make-up water supply. A close co-operation
between operator and supplier of the system has influenced
the positive operating experience significantly. On this basis
the system was optimised successful regarding cleaning, tightness,
and corrosion protection. Up to now the power plant
availability was never limited by the heat recovery system.
Required works could be realised in the frame of shutdowns
which were not caused by the heat recovery system.
Figure 6:
Total Efficiency Increase
Based on the real fuel price development and the CO 2 certificate
stock, the ROI could be reduced to five years.
Conclusion
The increase of power plant efficiency and the reduction of carbon
dioxide emissions are a worldwide acknowledged measure
for improving the protection of environment and climate. An
essential way of achieving this objective is the comprehensive
modernisation of existing fossil fuel fired power plants whose
lifetime is ensured, i. e. through a life extension study.
Advanced heat recovery systems open up new possibilities
for power plant efficiency increase and thus, for the production
of “Green Megawatts” electricity by reducing the emission of
waste heat into the environment.
This heat recovery to below acid dew point is realisable
upstream of a wet FGD or upstream of a wet stack which is
resistant against fluid acids.
In co-action with retrofits at the turbine and at the cooling
tower, the electrical output of Mehrum power plant could be
Figure 7:
Based on the real fuel price development and the CO 2 certificate
stock, the ROI could be reduced to five years
The flue gas heat recovery system, planned and constructed by
Babcock Borsig Steinmüller GmbH and meanwhile state-ofthe-art
in new built fossil fired power plants, has proved to be
an uncomplicated retrofit with a safe and economical operation
experience in the Mehrum power plant. Especially in the
Arab states there is a great chance to implement similar heat
recovery systems into fossil fired power plants in order to operate
power plants with an increased profitability and to protect
our environment at the same time.

Arab-German Trade Directory
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Arab-German business community and place your company profile in
the next volume of the Arab-German Trade Directory.
The aim of the book is to bring together Arab and German companies
interested in mutual business. The contact profiles of more than
6.000 enterprises give an overview on companies operating in each
country and their fields of activity. It makes it easy to find new
business contacts in your target countries and to draw attention to
your company in the Arab-German business community.
The Arab-German
Trade Directory 2011
www.ghorfa.de
In addition, the Arab-German Trade Directory offers country profiles
of the 22 Arab partner countries, Germany and the German federal states
to provide you with all important facts. This includes yearly updated
information on the economic and political situation in each country,
the recent developments and sector information.
As every year, we present you the completely updated publication in
the coming spring. Registration is possible until the beginning of December
each year. For further information, kindly contact the
Marketing Department (Phone: +49 30 27 89 07 – 22 or info@ghorfa.de).

MWM GmbH, Company Headquarters
Based in Mannheim since 1871 when it has been founded by Carl Benz, the inventor of the automobile.
Decentralized Power Generation
in Combination with Heat and Cold Supply
MWM GmbH
Carl Benz, the inventor of the automobile, founded the “mechanical workshops”
in Mannheim in 1871. Today MWM GmbH is one of the world’s leading suppliers of very efficient
and environmental friendly systems for energy production.
The company, based in Mannheim, Germany, draws on over
140 years of experience in the development and optimisation
of combustion engines for natural gas, special gases, and diesel.
Together with its partner Descon Power Solutions from Lahore,
Pakistan, we are going to extend its market presence in Pakistan.
Since 2009, Descon Power Solution, a subsidiary of
Descon, one of the leaders in engineering, chemicals and power
industry within the region, offers services such as engineering
& design, supply & installation, commissioning operation &
maintenance, supply of spare parts and emergency trouble
shooting for the supplied generator sets.
There are many reasons for the increased popularity of natural
gas to generate both power and energy in the world. While
coal is the cheapest fossil fuel for power generation it is by far
the most damaging as burning coal releases the highest levels
of pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

www.mwm.net
Full value chain by MWM.
Engine. Systems. Service.
Engine / Genset Compact Module Turnkey Service
MWM develops and manufactures
customized solutions for individual requirements
Recent regulations and public pressure have encouraged the
power sector to come up with new methods of generating
power and energy. New gas firing technologies are allowing
natural gas to play an increasing and decisive role in the generation
of clean electricity.
An efficient and uninterruptible power supply has become a
major challenge for industries around the world in the last decade.
Higher costs for energy and shortages of power supply
from the grid have brought the private, public and industrial
sector to search for a decentralised, efficient and clean way to
produce energy. Power generation with gas generator sets as
well as cogeneration (CHP) or trigeneration (CCHP) is one of the
most economical and affordable ways to produce energy. These
technologies have been proved and tested in the market for
decades, therefore, efficiencies up to 90 % can be achieved
today by producing energy together with heat and cold.
The application of combined heat & power or cogeneration,
in which the waste heat from a gas fired engine is used for the
heating of factory buildings or houses, for the use in working
processes as well as for generating more electricity, is a highly
efficient and cost effective power generation solution. The efficiency
of this application drops in hot climate when there is no
need for heating in the summer or if there is no heat demand
for other processes. In order to avoid this problems the power
generation and heat supply can be combined with an absorption
chiller to provide a profitable centralised cooling, for
Conventional Energy | Decentralized Power Generation
22 | 23

MWM container- Energy, efficiency, ecology –
all under one roof
MWM’s most efficient genset
with a full power range of up to 4.300 kWel
example, for office or public buildings. This application is
called trigeneration or combined cooling, heat & power and is
highly efficient throughout the whole year, even if there is no
heat demand at all. The turn from simple power production to
cogeneration, and these days to CCHP facilities, is a clear indicator
that the majority has realised the advantages of decentralised
power generation. The high efficiency from trigeneration
all year round and the maximum use of the waste heat for
cooling and heating lead to extensive savings and lower emission
levels.
In Pakistan, to date, we have supplied around 115 MWe of
installed power capacity in more than 20 gas fired power
projects that use different gas types with most of them running
on natural gas. One of the latest projects realised in Pakistan
was a 5.4 MWe power plant for the National Bank of Pakistan,
commissioned in 2011. Four generator sets of the series
TCG 2020 V16 K where installed on a turnkey basis along with
two years of operation and maintenance. The high power output
of 1,350 kWe of each generator set, an electrical efficiency of
41% along with the use of the waste heat for the installed chillers
for the cooling of the building ensures an efficient and
clean way of energy supply to the customer. Also the banking
industries sensitivity for information security and, hence, the
demand for a reliable captive power generation can be achieved
by the new power plant.
AEL, one of Pakistan’s Independent Power Plants (IPP), supplies
32 MWe of electric power to the national grid. Based on
eight gensets with an electrical output of 3.9 MWe each, the
power plant reaches an electrical efficiency of more than 39 %.
At the date of commissioning in 2008, this was one of the highest
efficiencies for gas generator sets. Today the TCG 2032
engine family achieves electrical efficiencies up to 43.5 % at
4,300 kWe electrical output. Descon is providing operation and
maintenance to the plant until today.
One of the latest projects in which a trigeneration system
was installed was at the Antalya airport, Turkey (Antalya Havalimani).
This system provides 8 MW of electrical power, while
the waste heat is used for heating purposes and the exhaust
gas heat is used in absorption chillers for cooling purposes.
Due to the trigeneration technology the system’s overall effi-

Shaping the future.
We need energy to power our future and Wintershall is working hard
to find and develop new oil and gas deposits all over the world.
We have both state-of-the-art technology and strong partners at our
disposal as well as unrivalled regional and technical expertise particularly
in Europe, North Africa, South America, Russia and the Caspian Sea region.
We are also expanding our activities in the Middle East. As the largest
German-based producer of crude oil and natural gas, we are helping to
secure the energy supply, both now and in the future.
www.wintershall.com
Job-Nr.: 286-1331 • Image Anzeige Plattform im Meer - UK • Kunde: Wintershall • Medium: Ghorfa • Farben: 4c · Format: B 210 x H 135 mm (+ 3mm Beschnit
40080_286-1331_AZ Bohrinsel_210x135.indd 1 08.08.11 09:33
ciency could be up to 90 % and the system’s overall energy consumption
could be decreased by 6 % compared to the conventional
thermal power from coal. The special feature of this
power plant in Antalya is the use of Liquified Natural Gas which
is evaporized and then used as fuel for the natural gas generator
sets due to the unfinished natural gas grid at site.
We offer generating units with an electrical power from 400
kWe to 4,300 kWe and can provide solutions for projects with
up to 100 MWe. The highest efficiencies and well founded
knowledge of the challenges for combined heat and power
make MWM one of the leading providers for decentralised
power production.
After the introduction of the TCG 2020 K in April 2010 the
product program of the successful series is expanded now by a
genset with 1,000 kWe. The new generating unit with its electrical
efficiency up to 40 % offers operators a wide range of
applications on an excellent price-performance ratio. Low
operation costs and minimal maintenance costs together with
dynamic load response capabilities and robustness of the wellproven
series TCG 2020 K ensure more profit and shorter payback
periods for the customer. An improved reliability at bad
air intake quality through nano-coated charge-air coolers has
also been implemented. The generator set is prepared for the
operation with natural gas with a minimum methane number
of 70.
Recently the new improved TCG 2016 C power genset series
for the use of biogas was introduced. It is available for both 50
and 60 Hz. The TCG 2016 C genset continues to be available in
the V8, V12, and V16 variants. Systematic optimisations of the
ignition and control system TEM (Total Electronic Management)
ensure more even load balancing over all cylinders. The
anti-knock control has been further improved, and a new cylinder
balancing concept has been introduced. A package including
an optimised butterfly valve construction, a new actuator
for the gas mixer, and the nano-paint-coated mixture cooler
make the genset even more durable and less susceptible to
external influences.
Thanks to these efficiency-boosting measures, the new
gensets reach a maximum efficiency of 42.8 % with biogas.
Conventional Energy | Decentralized Power Generation
24 | 25

Renewable Energy
For a number of years the issue of renewable energies has become increasingly
important in the Arab world and in Germany. While Germany pursues
the energy turnaround, projects and facilities have been implemented in Arab
countries from Morocco in the west to Oman in the east. This includes
solar energy, hydropower and wind power generation. While Germany is a key
global player in renewable energy technologies, the Arab world offers
ideal conditions for the implementation of solar and wind projects. The will to
further strengthen the role of renewable energies has been manifested
in Abu Dhabi’s successful bid for the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Renewable energy projects fostered by German companies and initiatives
in North Africa are to build a comprehensive Arab-German cooperation in this
field. Next to oil and gas, the renewable energies will prove to be a major
field of an Arab-German energy partnership. This chapter explores projects of
reference in this sector from North Africa to the Arab Gulf states.
Renewable Energy
26 | 27

Parabolic trough collectors at Andasol 3 plant in Spain
Solar Thermal Power Plants –
Egypt’s Kom Ombo and Others
Ferrostaal AG
Gerret Kalkoffen | Head of Business Development Power & Solar
Ferrostaal is a global provider of industrial services in plant construction and engineering.
As a technology-independent system integrator, the company offers development and
management of projects, financial planning, and construction services for turnkey installations
in the segments of petrochemicals, power & solar and industrial plants.
The worldwide demand for power is growing and both the costs
of fossil fuels as well as the dependencies on its import are
bound to increase as supplies tighten. Simultaneously the
awareness of climate change is promoting renewable energies
for sustainable growth. Solar thermal power plants are such
renewable energy technologies. They concentrate sunlight
with mirrors, e. g. in parabolic trough shape, and produce heat
energy that is fed into a steam turbine which drives a generator
and produces electricity. The great benefit is that electricity
can be provided at any time of the day – because energy can be
stored in tanks as heat, which is far less expensive than storing
electricity in batteries. Today, with no costs for feedstock and
due to technology, scale, and experience, solar thermal power
plants are cost competitive and reliable.
The World Bank has committed to contributing to the deployment
of solar thermal power plants in emerging countries with
appropriate solar conditions. The International Finance Corporation
(IFC), part of the World Bank Group, manages the Clean
Technology Fund (CTF). The CTF has a total volume of US $ 5 billion,
of which US $ 750 million are dedicated to solar thermal
power plants in the Middle East and North Africa. These funds
have been pre-assigned to 13 projects under soft-loan conditions:
40 years repayment period, 10 years grace period, 0%
interest and a service charge of 0.25 %. This way, the CTF is a
major supporter of technological advancements and the establishment
of sustainable energy production.

Aerial view of Andasol 3 plant with solar field and power block
Kom Ombo – Egypt’s next step towards large
scale solar thermal power
Integrated solar combined
cycle power plants
Kom Ombo is one of the 13 currently listed CTF projects, located
near the village of Kom Ombo, Egypt. It constitutes a great step
in the five-year plan, designed to establish Egypt as one of the
top producers of solar energy in North Africa. The solar thermal
power plant with parabolic trough technology and a capacity
of approximately 100 MW is scheduled to start construction
in 2012 and be completed by 2017, with a total investment of
US $ 525 million. In order to support Kom Ombo’s realisation,
the World Bank has allocated US $ 270 million, and further
funding is expected by other international institutions such as
KfW Banking Group and the African Development Bank.
The location of Kom Ombo enables the use of Nile water for
the plant’s cooling and has favourable conditions in terms of
wind speeds and atmospherics. Most importantly, Kom Ombo’s
location promises high energy yields due to its excellent direct
normal irradiation (DNI) of around 2,500 kWh/m²/year, which is
approximately 25 % higher than in Spain. Depending on the
exact configuration, the plant will be able to supply about
200,000 people with CO 2 -free electricity.
Little known to most, Kom Ombo, with its parabolic trough
system, has a historic predecessor. In 1912, the entrepreneur and
solar visionary Frank Shumann developed the first parabolic
solar collectors. They were installed near to the Nile, 15 miles
south of Cairo, and gave an indication for the vast solar energy
potential to be harvested.
More recently, another solar thermal project with parabolic
trough collectors was completed in Egypt. Near the town of
Kuraymat, an existing 140 MW gas-fired power plant was complemented
by a solar field, also known as an integrated solar
combined cycle (ISCC). This solar field supplements the burning
of fossil fuel by feeding its thermal energy to the steam turbine
of the conventional power plant, with an equivalent of 20
MW.
Committed to localisation, approximately 60 % 1 of the value
for the solar field was generated locally, while the operation and
maintenance is completely done by local industry. Looking
ahead, Egypt even plans to increase the local content further.
One key success factor was the involvement of strong local
construction and erection companies, indicating the high percentage
of local value creation in labour intensive solar thermal
power plants – a unique advantage over photovoltaic systems.
Further ISCC projects in the MENA Region are Hassi-R’mel and
Ain-Ben-Mathar.
Hassi-R’mel is located in Algeria and has a total capacity of
150 MW, of which 25 MW are produced from solar energy. The
parabolic trough based plant is under construction and sched-
1 Middle East and North Africa Region Assessment of the Local
Manufacturing Potential for Concentrated Solar Power Projects
(World Bank, Ernst & Young, Fraunhofer ISI/ISE)
Renewable Energy | Solar Thermal Power Plants
28 | 29

Outlook:
Bright future for solar thermal power plants
uled to start operation by the end of 2011. Ain-Ben-Mathar, under
construction in Mathar, Morocco, also uses a parabolic trough
system, whereas 30 MW of 470 MW total capacity, is solar generated.
Compared to Kuraymat, both Hassi-R’mel and Ain-Ben-
Mathar have less local content, because main components and
equipment for the project are imported from international markets1.
All three ISCC plants were also supported by the World Bank,
then under the Global Environmental Facility. They stand as
proof that renewable projects can be executed successfully in
North Africa and the Middle East region with great benefit to
their local environments.
Andasol 3 – 50 MW parabolic trough plant
with 7.5 hours of storage
Andasol 3 is a parabolic trough based system located near Guadix,
Spain, and has a capacity of 50 MW. With commissioning
successfully under way and commercial operation planned to
begin in late 2011, Andasol 3 is one of the world’s first solar thermal
power plants with an innovative 7.5 hour molten salt storage
system. It is characterised by a favourable combination of
high energy density, cost efficiency, and ecological safety, ultimately
enabling the plant to cover the main off-take hours.
The molten salt is stored in two large, insulated, steel tanks,
each with a capacity of approximately 30,000 tons. During the
day, the solar field is designed to provide its energy both to a
steam generator to drive the turbine and generator as well as to
the storage system. Via a heat exchanger fed by the solar field,
the salt flowing from one cold tank is heated from 290 °C to
approx. 390 °C and then stored in the other hot tank. Once the
sun has set and the solar field no longer generates heat, the flow
of the salt reverses. The salt from the hot tank now provides its
energy to the steam generator and flows back to the cold tank.
This way, up to 7.5 hours of full load electricity production are
possible without sunlight. Ferrostaal arranged the financing and,
together with experienced partners, is the EPC-general contractor
of Andasol 3.
The refinancing of the investment volume of approximately
€ 380 million is secured by the Spanish feed-in tariff. The tariff
guarantees producers a fixed price for the upcoming 20 years
with a premium over market prices. This way, both the additional
costs of a young technology are considered, as well as the
need for financial security due to the significant initial investment
of solar thermal power plants, while later O & M costs are
low.
Using the sun as energy source, solar thermal power plants
operate without CO 2 emissions. A power plant with 50 MW and
7.5 hours storage such as Andasol 3, reduces CO 2 emissions by
up to 125,000 tons/year. Additionally, compared to energetically
and/or chemically intensive technologies such as photovoltaic,
the life cycle assessment for solar thermal power plants
is better.
The successfully constructed ISCC projects have increased the
experience and expertise for solar thermal power plants in the
Middle East and North Africa. Projects, such as Kom Ombo, will
ensure further local content and economical advancement by
attracting international companies. The main drivers are the
growing populations’ increased electricity demands. In order to
maintain peaceful societies that prosper these demands must
be met – ideally ecologically friendly from the start to limit the
carbon footprint.
Kom Ombo is an excellent example for local job creation,
transfer of know-how, and sustainable energy production. It
proves that solar thermal energy is optimally suited for desert
conditions and can be quickly implemented, given adequate
support.
Setup of solar thermal power plant with storage
Integrated solar combined cycle plant setup

Parabolic trough collectors at Andasol 3 plant in Spain
Renewable Energy | Solar Thermal Power Plants
30 | 31

Shams One
100 MW Concentrated Solar Power Plant
Fichtner GmbH & Co. KG
Matthias Schnurrer | Director Gulf Area and
Martin Schmitt | Project Engineer
As the first major hydrocarbon-producing economy in the Gulf Region, Abu Dhabi has established
its leadership position in renewable energies by launching the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company
(ADFEC). This company is heading the MASDAR (Arabic: source) Project, whose main purpose is the
development of Masdar City, which will consume only solar power and other renewable energies.
Solar technologies are rapidly becoming a major focus worldwide
as a sustainable energy source, and the MASDAR Initiative,
Abu Dhabi’s landmark renewables program, is driving the
adop tion of advanced solar technologies in the UAE.
ADFEC is already operating Masdar City’s 10 MW solar PV
plant that came on stream in 2009. Another prime project being
developed by ADFEC is a 100 MW concentrated solar power plant,
known as Shams One Solar Power Plant (Arabic: sun), which will
play a significant role in promoting renewable energies, as it will
be one of the biggest solar thermal power plants in the world
and is the first large-scale solar power generation plant in the
Gulf Region.
Shams One Plant construction site
Shams One is owned by Shams Power Company, a special purpose
vehicle comprising Masdar, with a 60 % stake, in a joint
venture with Abengoa Solar, Spain, and Total, France, each with
20 % holdings.
Fichtner was involved in this project from day one and supported
ADFEC as its technical consultant and transaction advisor
for the entire project development phase. Fichtner’s services
included preparation of the feasibility study, conceptual design
and drawing up tender documents as well as support during the
transaction process up to award of contract. Fichtner is currently
acting as owner’s engineer, being responsible for design review,
site management and supervision of commissioning up to commercial
operation of the power plant.

Shams One Plant construction site
Shams One, which is being implemented in a 24 month project
construction period, is located in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi
approximately 120 km south-west of the city of Abu Dhabi
adjacent to the town of Madinat Zayed on a plot of about
1.8 km × 1.4 km (2.5 km²). This is mainly covered with the solar
field consisting of 768 solar collector assemblies and 258,000
mirrors, to be supplied by Abengoa Solar. The solar collector
assemblies are being put together on site in a dedicated manufacturing
shop that is to be dismantled after commissioning of
the power plant.
Shams One deploys parabolic trough technology to convert
solar irradiation into solar heat, which is used to produce steam
for power generation. Electricity is generated by a steam turbine
generator with air-cooled condenser.
The principle of the process is illustrated in figure “Overall
process flow schematic”. The solar field is a modular distributed
array of solar collector assemblies (SCA) connected in parallel via
a system of insulated pipes. On the cold side, heat transfer fluid
(HTF) coming from the power block enters the solar field at a
temperature of about 300 °C. In the solar field the HTF is distributed
equally to all 192 loops, with each loop consisting of four
SCAs. In the loops, sunlight concentrated by the parabolic reflectors
heats the HTF to a temperature of almost 400 °C, which is
the upper limit for HTF systems to prevent decomposition of the
HTF. The hot HTF leaving the loops is collected and returned to
the power block.
Dual fuel fired HTF heaters are installed in parallel to the
solar field to even out fluctuations in solar irradiation. Further,
these heaters improve the plant’s start-up capabilities, because
warm-up can already be started before sunrise. Although it is
intended to run these heaters for only a limited number of
hours to reduce fuel consumption, they have not only the ability
to support the solar field in case of, for example, cloud passage,
but they are also designed for full load operation of the plant.
This enables the plant to provide its full power output even at
night in case it should be requested to do so by the offtaker. Due
to a redundant arrangement, Shams Power Company was even
able to contractually guarantee a 50 MW firm output capacity at
any time.
Renewable Energy | Shams One
32 | 33

The interface between the solar field and the power block is the
solar steam generator (SSG). Here, the power block receives the
solar heat harvested in the solar field. The SSG is a natural circulation
boiler heated by the HTF from the solar field. It consists of
a preheater, an evaporator and a superheater arranged in counterflow
arrangement to the HTF. The SSG produces steam at a
temperature of about 380 °C. To raise the efficiency of the turbine,
the steam from the SSG is further superheated in the dual
fuel fired booster heater to a temperature of 540 °C.
The superheated steam is supplied to the steam turbine to
generate power. An air-cooled condenser condenses the turbine
exhaust steam flow and the condensate is returned to the solar
steam generator. An air-cooled condenser was selected because
no cooling water is available at the site.
With this configuration of a solar steam generator combined
with a fuel fired superheater, which is specific to Shams One,
most of the energy is provided by solar irradiation and fuel is
only needed to attain the top operating temperature.
By applying the booster heater principle, steam parameters
are similar to those in conventional power plants. This allows
the use of standard components, like turbines, condensers, etc.,
that have been optimised to match these parameters over recent
decades. These standard components both reduce operational
risks and cut capital costs.
Solar thermal power generation with a solar field size of
approximately 627,840 m² translates to a total net capacity of at
least 100 MW at reference site conditions when coupled with
booster firing to increase the live steam temperature to 540 °C.
The project includes all infrastructure connections – gas, water,
electricity at 11 kV and 220 kV, telecommunications, and access
road – needed for Shams One. Although a site close to the sea
would have had some advantages, the landlocked location was
purposely chosen to demonstrate the capability of such a plant
to operate independently of cooling water sources. This
requirement was inspired by the fact that – due to the size of
solar thermal plants – the number of possible sites close to
cooling water sources is limited. Therefore, with an increasing
number of such plants the sites will have to be located inland.
The additional technological requirements for future plants of
this type have already been anticipated in the Shams One
project.
Under a power purchase agreement, the output of Shams
One is fully committed to Abu Dhabi Water Electricity Company
(ADWEC). The engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning,
and start-up works have been awarded to the EPC contractor
consortium UTE Abener Teyma Emirates I, Spain, and will
be completed by 18 June 2012.
The Shams One project is set up as a BOOT (Build Own Operate
Transfer) structure. This means the plant is built, owned and
operated by Shams Power Company for a period of 25 years, at
the end of which it will be transferred to the Abu Dhabi government.
Shams Power Company has subcontracted operation and
maintenance of the plant to an O & M company that is owned to
equal shares by Total and Abengoa Solar.
Shams One is the first concentrating solar power plant to be
registered under the United Nations’ Clean Development Mechanism
and is eligible for carbon credits, as it will displace around
175,000 t of CO 2 per year. It likewise contributes towards Abu
Dhabi’s target of achieving 7 % renewable energy power generation
capacity by 2020.
Overall process flow schematic

Solar investigation tower in Jülich, Germany
AlSol – Feasibility for a Solar Thermal Tower
Power and Gas Turbine Plant in Algeria
Kraftanlagen München GmbH
Gerrit Koll, MBA | Sales and Business Development Manager
Energy & Environment Technology
On 24 August 2009, the national administration of scientific research of Algeria, Direction
Générale de la Recherche Scientifique et du Developpement Technologique (DG-RSDT),
and the Solar-Institute Jülich (SIJ) signed a cooperation treaty to realise a further developed solar
tower power plant on basis of the open volumetric air receiver technology in Algeria.
Based hereon as a first step, a feasibility analysis and a basic engineering for the construction,
commissioning and operation of a solar tower power plant were carried out by
Kraftanlagen München under a contract of SIJ. Moreover, SIJ was also in charge of proposing
conceptual ideas for an adjacent technology demonstration and research centre,
the so-called Technopol, as a basis for future scientific cooperation and exchange between
Algerian and German research communities.
Objectives
Site evaluation and conceptual analysis
When the project AlSol started, the SIJ, DG-RSDT, the Algerian partner
“Centre de Développement des Energies Renouvelables CDER”
and the German partners Kraftanlagen München GmbH (KAM),
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. and IA Tech
GmbH have conjointly worked out the project prerequisites:
– Power plant design providing a broad spectrum of operation
cases for future R&D-studies
– Proximity to research institutes, universities and airports in
the north of Algeria in order to strengthen the Algerian
solar energy research network on an international level
– Innovative plant concept with gas turbine hybridization
and heat storage for operation on demand and high plant
availability
– Modular plant design providing a scale-up ability to commercial
plants
Out of three target regions in the north of Algeria eight possible
sites have been identified and analysed in a two stage
approach. The selected site, fulfilling all project requirements
for a feasible erection and operation of the solar tower, is situated
in Bourkika (Wilaya of Tipaza), in the north of Algeria, well
connected to the research institutes of Blida University and
CDER in Algiers. The expected annual DNI is 1,900 kWh/(m² a).
With regard to the boundary conditions of the potential
sites a main focus was set on developing an advanced plant
concept. Due to the highly synergetic integration of a gas turbine
into the air cycle of the open air receiver technology, e. g.
similar working fluids and temperature levels, different GThybridization
concepts providing timely parallel or serial operation
of the thermal heat supplying components (solar receiver
and gas turbine) were developed and benchmarked against a
Renewable Energy | AlSol
34 | 35

solar-only operation. Yearly-based simulations of the investigated
hybrid plant concepts showed solar shares from 5 % up
to 48 %. For these plant concepts, based on annual output calculations,
a comparative evaluation has been presented.
Plant design
The hybrid parallel operation turned out to be most conforming
with the underlying project goals. The key data of the developed
plant design are as follows:
– Operational concept: GT-hybrid parallel
– total reflector area: 25,000 m²
– Heat storage capacity 20 MWh
– Gas turbine/
steam turbine design power: 4,6 MW/2,6 MW
– Cooling concept dry air cooling
The integration of the gas turbine to the solar tower is achieved
by discharging the GT exhaust gas flow into the air cycle of the
solar plant (see figure 2). This “combined cycle”-like configuration
allows a synergetic use of the HRSG and water steam cycle
in solar and fossil operation and assures highly efficient solarto-
and gas-to-electricity conversions. According to the major
conclusion of the conceptual analysis the hybrid parallel concept
for the solar-power plant fulfils the project objectives for
operation and research providing additionally the lowest levelised
cost of electricity LCOE. It has been decided to prosecute
this concept with a minimum plant size dimensioning (nominal
solar load + 50 % part load of gas turbine). In order to preserve
the high thermodynamic efficiencies of the volumetric
air receiver technology, a suitable gas turbine in size and
exhaust gas properties, i. e. exhaust temperature level also in
part load operation, had to be identified and selected.
As a result of the chosen layout the plant can be operated in
pure solar, hybrid parallel or combined cycle-only mode as well
as in many intermediate load cases providing possible solar
shares from 100 to 0 %. A vast flexibility and weather independence
of plant operation can be concluded. Moreover, a
demand oriented plant output becomes possible. This plant
concept enables a great field for future R & D assessments and
evaluations with respect to different load, supply, solar share,
carbon footprint, economic and business cases.
Herein the following prerequisites are mandatory for an adequate
gas turbine for hybrid parallel concept:
– Gas turbine size in accordance to solar part of the power
plant: to provide a constant utilization of the jointly used
components of the power plant
– Exhaust gas temperature in the range of solar hot air temperatures
(over 500 °C): to achieve high thermodynamic
efficiencies for gas turbine exhaust heat recovery and to
maintain high temperature levels in case of parallel operation
– Appropriate part load behavior: constant exhaust temperatures
levels, decreasing exhaust mass flows and reasonable
part load limits (down to 50 % load): to enable an adaption
of gas turbine load to balance fluctuations during solar
operation, to improve the utilization level of the jointly
used components of the power plant and to provide a high
flexibility level of the entire plant
– State-of-the-art technology (efficiency, emissions, etc.)
A comparison of the available gas turbines in the concerned
nominal power range showed that only few turbines are
entirely in accordance with these criteria and thus, suitable for
a parallel hybridization of the solar tower with a 25,000 m²
heliostat field. Nevertheless, further numerical simulations
and analysis of the possible integration of gas turbines into the
solar power plant demonstrated that small gas turbines can be
used for a serial or 100 % parallel concept with a continuous,
full load operation of the gas turbine. It resulted that GT design
D/E can be integrated adequately to a solar power plant with
18,000 or 25,000 m² sized heliostat field.
Plant layout for hybridized solar power tower

Project status and outlook
As the identified site and the developed plant design for the
solar tower fulfilled the project objectives, the partners
declared their intent to realize it and provide the budgetary
framework. As further major step in the permission planning
of the project is scheduled for 2012 and plant commissioning
for 2014.
References
1 MEM (2011). Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Program, March
2011, Algerian Ministry of Energy and Mines, Algeria
2 G. Koll et al. (2009). The Solar Tower Jülich – A Research and
Demonstration Plant for Central Receiver Systems. Proceedings of 15 th
SolarPACES Conference, September 2009, Berlin, Germany
3 P. Schwarzbözl et al. (2010). The Solar Tower Jülich – First operational
Experiences and test Result. Proceedings of 16 th SolarPACES Conference,
September 2010, Perpignan, France
4 S. Pomp et al. (2010). Advanced Concept for a solar thermal power plant
with open volumetric air receiver. Proceedings of 16 th SolarPACES
Conference, September 2010, Perpignan, France
5 Alexopoulos, S. et al. (2009): Simulation results for a hybridization
concept of a small solar tower power plant. Proceedings of 15 th
SolarPACES Conference, September 2009, Berlin, Germany
6 Abener Energía S. A (2011): Project information on Solar thermal ISCC
power plant Hassi ’R Mel (Algeria), www.abener.es
Site for the plant in Tipasa
Hybrid open volumetric air system with gas turbine
Renewable Energy | AlSol
36 | 37

First Solar, 30 MW, Cimarron (New Mexico, USA)
The Value of Renewable Energies
in the MENA Region
First Solar GmbH
Karim Asali, MBA | Technical Development Manager
Renewable, high-tech energy production
starts contributing to energy independence in MENA
In Western Europe and the U.S.A. power generation using
renewable energy systems has achieved an increasingly strong
position within the energy mix in recent years. In particular
wind energy and photovoltaic (PV) have found a pivotal role in
Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Japan, California, and other
countries through national incentive schemes such as feed-in
laws and tax breaks. A dynamic industry that optimises its production
processes continuously, and a massive increase in production
and power generation capacity has been the result.
This enabled the industry to produce products and build power
generation systems at costs steadily closer to or even lower
than conventional power production from heavy-fuel oil, gas,
and alike.
Energy markets are shifting towards renewable energies in
three phases: today, we are experiencing the end of the first
phase, in which public subsidies are driving the market while
helping the industry to reach market maturity. The final, third
phase, is characterised by a sustainable energy economy – the
ultimate goal of this transition towards a clean, green energy
production. Sustainable, in this context, also means the
achievement of power generation costs which are equal to or
lower than fossil-generated electricity on a comparable basis.
We are now in a transition phase – the second phase – with its
special challenges. A feature of this phase is the opening and
creation of new markets with lower requirements for subsidies
and the willingness to question existing energy and economic
structures. This allows a gradual adaptation of new and renewable
resources. However, economies investing in renewable
energy will also have to revise their energy laws and power grid
structures, decentralise power generation and accelerate electricity
market liberalisation processes.

The MENA region
Today, the MENA region is experiencing a profound social, economic
and political transformation.
This transformation includes its energy markets and infrastructures.
Almost without exception, MENA countries are seriously
considering renewable energies as a new option for their
future energy mix. The drivers may be different, but the goals
and solutions are similar.
Net energy exporters such as Saudi Arabia and other GCC
states, for example, see renewables as a means to preserve their
valuable fossil resources and reduce their opportunity cost.
Saudi Arabia, with an increase of 6 to 7 % in domestic consumption,
burns one third of its oil production in order to generate
electricity and desalinate water to meet this steadily growing
domestic demand. Each barrel of oil or cubic meter of gas saved
and replaced by renewables is one more sold to world markets.
An increase of world market prices will boost this positive economic
effect even more. Additionally, the region understands
that solar energy could be an opportunity to build a future
industry, create new jobs and, after all, strengthen its energy
security.
Net importers like Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia are increasingly
suffering from the rising share of their energy expenditure
related to their gross domestic product. This imposes a high burden
to a region that is already threatened by social unrest.
Energy security and the development of an indigenous energy
industry becomes a key driver. For example, Jordan’s electricity
production is almost entirely dependent on Egypt, receiving its
complete gas needs via a pipeline. Supply has already been disrupted
several times since the beginning of this year through
terrorist attacks, forcing the power plant operators to switch
operation from gas to expensive and polluting heavy-fuel oil.
Such ruptures or failures of the Egypt-Jordan pipeline can cost
the state an additional JD 3 million (eq. US $ 4 million) per day.
Critics have sometimes tried to write off renewable energy as
an expensive means to produce green power. The fact is that
technological advancements, economies of scale and market
pressure over the last months and years have led to significantly
reduced costs and prices, both in manufacturing solar modules
and building solar power plants. In some regions and applications,
the industry is now achieving a levelised cost of electricity
close or even below conventional generation grid parity. The
scale and size of projects currently targeted will support this
trend. The construction of a First Solar 550 MW photovoltaic (PV)
project, Desert Sunlight, in southern California, would dwarf current
operating PV plants, the largest of which are in the 70 MW
to 80 MW range, and produce electricity that is already competitive
with peak electricity from natural gas in California, especially
if natural gas prices continue to rise.
Utility-scale, PV-generated electricity in MENA countries is
already moving towards a cost range, depending on location,
between 10 and 15 Euros/kWh, fixed and guaranteed for up to
25 years. Adding the opportunity costs to this cost level, energy
produced by wind and solar can be considered economically
viable already today. However, a dependable, long-term energy
policy framework is essential to allow implementation and
attract the industry even further; giving power produced by
renewables priority to feed the grid and preferential access, the
liberalisation of power markets and simpler permitting procedures
are just some examples of what a sustainable energy
framework needs in order to drive this development.
However, looking at the cost and cost competitiveness is just one
issue concerning the discussion about the sustainable energy
markets. A deeper analysis reveals the true value and exciting
advantages of power produced by renewables, including:
“Water-free” technologies:
The majority of conventional power is generated using the
thermo-dynamic cycle based on Carnot, where thermal energy
is converted into electricity. This applies to all power plants
while burning oil, gas, or coal. Nuclear power plants but also
solar parabolic trough power plants (CSP) are based on the same
conversion mechanism. This cycle requires a cooling process,
which traditionally and most effectively is done by using water.
Typically 1.6 l/kWh (as power plants), 2.3 l/kWh (nuclear), and 4
l/kWh (CSP) are consumed irrevocably to cool down the system.
For example, a 50 MW concentrated solar power (CSP) plant
requires the same amount of water as the annual needs of more
than 600,000 Moroccans. These quantities obviously lack
other consumers then. PV and wind, however, are technologies
that do not require water during their usual operation. The
value of using such technologies in a region with constrained
water resources cannot be overestimated.
Power production in proximity of consumers:
Conventional power plants are usually built as central units of
a size of 500 to 1000 MW to cover large areas of demand. Thus,
they usually require long transmission lines, resulting in losses
and inefficiencies. PV and on-shore wind can be built in smaller
units thanks to their modular characteristics, and thus, be
closer to the consumer and operated almost with no or much
smaller transmission losses.
Renewable Energy | The Value of Renewable Energies
38 | 39

Timely production:
A solar photovoltaic system delivers power with good correlation
between supply and demand. This applies especially to
financially strong and hot climate MENA countries, where peaking
air-conditioning consumption and solar electricity production,
for example, occur during the same hours of the day.
Hedging and security costs:
Investments in PV systems are nearly completely capitalrelated
with almost no operating costs. This gives investors,
owners and off-takers a unique, accurate predictability of cash
flows with low-risk investment over the 25-year-plus lifetime of
the plant.
Good predictability of power:
With a reliable and stable solar radiation source over 300 days/
year on average in MENA, a solar system can produce predictable
and reliable power throughout the entire year.
Simple technology:
Wind and especially PV consist of only few components. Their
modular design offers a range of advantages compared to complex
conventional power plants. This includes the ability to
expand the systems at a later stage by adding units without
major disruption. Additionally, PV can be installed with no
moving parts, resulting in lower maintenance expenses.
Infrastructure requirements:
In contrast to conventional power plants wind or PV systems
require only limited adjustments to existing infrastructure.
Neither gas nor water supply lines are required. The modularity
allows the system size to adapt to existing network capacity
such as medium or high voltage transmission lines.
Fast realisation of development and construction:
A minimum of four to five years is needed to develop and construct
a fossil power plant before it delivers a single kilowatt
hour of electricity to the grid. A PV system, on the other hand,
can be developed and built in half the time and begin producing
power in stages. This time factor is particularly of value for
regions with rapidly growing demand as in the MENA region
and significantly reduces financing costs.
Summarised, all these advantages can, to a great extent, be
translated into cash and contribute to evaluating the true levelised
cost of electricity of renewable energy. Commercial and
utility-scale PV systems show a solid track record in Europe, Canada,
and the desert of South West U.S. Almost 30 GW have been
installed in the past few years just in Europe. The U.S. is investing
heavily in renewables and is forecast to grow to between 4.5 and
5.5 GW over the next five years, or around ten times the size of
the market in 2009. By investing in renewable energies, the
MENA region can cover its steadily growing power needs with
sustainable renewable electricity while securing the potential
and resources to transform its economies.
First Solar, Gehrlicher Solar, 5 MW, Bullas (Spain)
First Solar, Sempra Energy, 48 MW, Boulder City (Nevada, USA)

Masdar’s 100 MW
Noor 1 Photovoltaic Project
Lahmeyer International
Camilo Varas | Project Manager
Current conditions of the site: relatively flat with good soil conditions,
perfect for the development of a PV plant.
The Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), a UAE based company, is planning the
construction of a 100 MW photovoltaic power plant in the United Arab Emirates called Noor 1.
The Noor 1 project, foreseen to start operations at the end of 2013, will be one of the l
argest PV plants worldwide, generating over 160 GWh of electricity per year. Furthermore,
the Noor 1 plant will be the first of a set of three 100 MW photovoltaic power plants
intended to be built in the same area under the name Al Ain Solar Park.
Noor 1 – which translates from Arabic into “Light 1” – will form
part of Masdar’s growing renewable energy project portfolio in
the UAE, which includes, among other solar and wind projects,
a 100 MW CSP project called Shams 1, currently under construction
by a consortium between Abengoa (Spain) and Total
(France).
The construction of the Noor 1 project will not only represent
a major step in UAE’s renewable energy targets, but also
the cornerstone for the development of large scale PV projects
in the MENA region.
It is no secret that the constant cost reduction on PV modules
seen in recent years has rendered the PV industry more
attractive and competitive than other renewable energy
options (e. g. CSP). This fact, together with a combination of a
vast energy resource (solar irradiation) and available land, has
made large scale PV projects a perfect match for renewable
energy development in the MENA region.
Thanks to its extensive track record in photovoltaics, Lahmeyer
International was entrusted with the role of technical advisor
to Masdar. The tasks include the preparation of the project
design considering state-of-the-art technologies and practices,
technical assistance during the tendering phase (tender document
preparation and bid evaluation), and contract negotiations.
For this challenging project, Lahmeyer has formed a team of
multidisciplinary and highly skilled experts i. e. power, me chani
cal, civil, renewable engineers, among others, who are prepared
to cope with the particular needs of the project. Furthermore,
Lahmeyer’s local office in Abu Dhabi plays a key role
within the team, confirming the worldwide presence of LI and
the ability to undertake projects globally with key local knowledge.
Renewable Energy | Photovoltaic project
40 | 41

The project
Current status
The Noor 1 plant will be located in the United Arab Emirates
near Al Ain, in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The site selected covers
an area of approximately 350 ha, consisting of relatively flat
land with optimal soil characteristics. Furthermore, the site is
located in an uninhabited area where limited vegetation and
wildlife will be disturbed.
By using measurements on site and with assistance of satellite
derived data, it has been estimated that the plant will
receive an average solar irradiation of over 2,200 kWh/m² per
year (global horizontal), making it an excellent site for the
development of a PV project.
The plant design is conceived as a ground mounted solar PV
power plant, rated for approximately 100 MWp installed PV
power, which will make the Noor 1 plant one of the largest PV
plants in the world and the largest in the MENA region.
Due to the plant size and desert like conditions found at the
site (e. g. high ambient temperatures, fine sands) new and innovative
solutions and plant components have been investigated,
while still taking advantage of the project’s economy of scale.
The PV modules will be mounted on fixed structures and will
be grouped in multi-megawatt blocks. Tracking structures have
been discarded as an option for the project due to the lack of an
extensive track record of these structures in a similar working
environment (e. g. effect of fine sand on tracking mechanisms).
A preliminary layout can be seen in the below picture.
The interaction between the plant and the electricity grid
represents an additional technical challenge for which state-ofthe-art
control and weather forecasting equipment are foreseen
for the plant. The electricity generated by the Noor 1 plant
will be exported directly to the high voltage transmission grid
at 220 kV via an existing substation located at Sanaiya, approximately
10 km west of the site. An important factor to the
project is the construction and installation of a 220/33 kV substation
at the project site, as well as the underground cable
linking the 220/33 kV substation and the Sanaiya substation.
The energy produced by the Noor 1 project will be sold
through a long term PPA with the local utility.
Aerial view of the site including a preliminary design
for the 100 MW plant. In this example, the total occupied area
of the plant extends 3 km² (2.5 × 1.2 km).
Lahmeyer International together with Masdar’s project team
finalised the conceptual design of the project earlier this year.
Simultaneously, a prequalification process was carried out
identifying the potential bidders for the project.
Once the tendering documents were prepared, Masdar
launched the request for proposals for the construction and
operation of the Noor 1 plant in May. Due to the high quality of
the received Statements of Qualification, a relatively large
number of bidders were prequalified and invited to present a
proposal for the future plant.
Within the short listed bidders well known PV as well as local
players are competing for the project.
The project requirements set high standards for the detailed
design, equipment selection as well as for the quality of the
construction, in order to ensure successful operation and performance
over the project lifetime. Moreover, the project is
being developed through the project finance modality, expecting
commercial banks to provide debt financing, making the
bankability of the components and construction works a must.
Furthermore, the successful bidder will be the one who, satisfying
the aforementioned technical requirements, submits a
proposal with the lowest LCOE (levelised cost of electricity).
Additionally, the successful bidder will be required to operate
and maintain the plant during the first five years of operation,
with the possibility of an extension for a longer period.
Upcoming project timeline
The evaluation of the bids is foreseen to take place during the
last quarter of 2011 along with the contract negotiations, where
Lahmeyer will be significantly involved. Following the planned
course, the contract award is expected during the first quarter of
2012. Construction of the power plant as well as the new substation
and the interconnection line are set to start mid-2012 and is
expected to last no more than 18 months. Although partial commissioning
of the solar field is likely to happen, fully commercial
operation is expected to take place at the end of 2013.
Conclusion and perspective
At 100 MWp installed capacity, the Noor 1 plant will be one of
the largest PV plants around the world and the largest in the
MENA region. Thanks to its innovative technical and commercial
conception, it is expected to serve as an example and
model for the development and construction of similar large
scale PV plants all over the MENA region.
Lahmeyer is glad to join and assist Masdar in the successful
development of this pioneering and exemplary project in the
MENA region.

Sustainable Energy
for Remote Radio Towers in Algeria
“Power&Life Container” installed in Neuenrade, Germany.
SaEnergy Systems GmbH
Klaus Naderer | Managing Director
Continuing fluctuations in the Algerian national electric power system cause considerable
off-times in the mobile telecommunication system. As a result, one of the local mobile network
operators (MNO) is looking to install emergency power systems for existing radio towers
and to operate new radio towers off-grid by using the “Power&Life Container” (PLC) –
a mobile power plant developed by SaEnergy Systems. SaEnergy Systems is currently working
with a partner on the bidding phase of the project.
Installation and maintenance of mobile telecommunication
networks in Algeria is a challenging task. As one of the largest
territorial states in the world, and the largest one on the African
continent, Algeria demands a great deal from its nationwide
telecommunication operators. Roughly 87 % of the country
is considered Saharan territory, with almost 80 % being
devoid of any vegetation. This makes expanding the national
power grid to remote installations like radio towers difficult, as
well as expensive. The very range of power supply networks
necessary for covering such a large country with such demanding
environmental conditions makes technical difficulties
within the power supply inevitable. Fluctuations in the
national grid, leading to off-times in telecommunication networks,
are the consequence. Therefore, technical installations
that depend on permanent and steady power have to be provided
with a power back-up. So far diesel-powered generator
sets and battery systems have filled this niche.
While Algeria is one of the largest oil exporting countries in
the world, the government declared in February 2011 that in
order to conserve its fossil fuel reserves, and free itself from a
unilateral dependency, the country is planning to generate
40 % of its energy from renewable energy sources by 2030.
Renewable Energy | Remote Radio Towers
42 | 43

Stand-alone Power
Today, the energy potential of the solar irradiation in Algeria
alone would exceed the world-wide demand. This makes the
use of sun and wind as infinite and sustainable energy
resources the perfect choice for Algeria.
The above mentioned reasons make it is easy to comprehend
why it is favourable for Algerian mobile telecommunication
providers to switch emergency power supply of remote
radio towers progressively from fossil fuelled generation to
power that is generated from renewable energy. In this context,
SaEnergy Systems is planning to provide radio towers with its
“Power&Life Container” as a versatile and mobile power generator
based on renewable energy in a co-operation with the supplier
of the Algerian mobile network provider.
Back-up Power
The first part of the co-operation includes provision of existing
radio towers connected to the national electricity grid with a
back-up power solution, a move away from diesel-powered
generator sets. Here the “Power&Life Container” offers the possibility
to generate sustainable energy from infinite renewable
energy sources. The PLC consists of a standard 20-foot shipping
container, a combination of different modules, including a
solar power plant, a wind turbine, an energy storage system,
and a power stand-by unit. The interaction of the different
components and the operational processes are monitored and
managed by an electronic control unit. The PLC can be outfitted
to produce between 5 kW and 35 kW, according to requirements.
Housing the components within a standard 20-foot
intermodal container is highly beneficial for mobility, erecting/assembly,
and operation. When the system is set up, the
polycrystalline solar modules are mounted on a specially
designed rack system, are placed conveniently near the container,
and can thus be aligned optimally to the sun. The mast
for the wind turbine is attached to the container itself, so that
no extra foundation or anchoring is necessary. Wind turbine
and solar power plant can be assembled with standard tools
within a relatively short period of time (approx. 8 – 10 hours).
The control unit, the energy storage system, and the power
stand-by unit remain inside the container. The PLC can easily
be dismantled and moved to a different location, if necessary.
In comparison with regular emergency power systems like diesel-powered
generator sets, the PLC generates energy 24 hours
with very low operational costs. Excess energy can be used for
a variety of different applications or fed into the grid until
needed as emergency supply.
For the second phase of this project, it is planned to supply
newly built radio towers with energy provided by the
“Power&Life Container” right from the start instead of connecting
them to the national grid first. As a result it won’t be necessary
to expand the communication network exclusively along
existing power distribution lines and have areas without gridsupply
not included in the mobile communications network.
Construction and maintenance of long range energy transport
systems usually account for a significant portion of the
industry related investments and add significantly to the costs
per kW. Simply put, the generation of power on-site and offgrid
from renewable energy sources would be a lot more costeffective
in the long run.
Delinking the radio station locations from the grid infrastructure
enables the MNO to locate the stations where they provide
the best mobile network cell coverage. Connection to the power
grid would not be a limiting factor anymore.
Furthermore, the PLC control system contains a communication
module which enables remote monitoring, controlling,
and programming of the system, allowing the surveillance of
the stand-alone system, and making it less dependent on constant
inspections at isolated locations. Transmission of the signal
can be easily achieved via the radio tower installation itself.
Energy flow chart
illustrating electricity generation and
distribution among consumers.

Excess Power
Conclusion
Another significant step is planned for a third phase in this
project. Any excess energy generated by the “Power&Life Container”
at the radio towers may also inure to the benefit of
nearby settlements, maybe even resulting in a positive symbiosis
of the network operator and the local community, e. g. as a
Public Private Partnership (PPP). While one party profits from
inexpensive electricity, the other party may profit from acceptance
and care for the technical installation. Rural areas can be
provided with basic electricity, enabling the supply of electric
lighting and cooling and, thus, in turn enabling education,
communication, health care, and electricity for the production
of drinking water and industrial processes. This way, the provision
of such services can help to overcome poverty, illiteracy,
water and food shortages in developing or rural areas and help
establish regional economic cycles.
Usually radio towers can be powered with an output of
about 10 kW. In case a PLC with a nominal output of 15, 20, or
up to 35 kW is installed, the excess power could be given away
and power potentially a water treatment unit or a water desalination
unit. For these applications, the PLC can be equipped
with modular water treatment or desalination units, customised
depending on the environmental requirements or the
degree of pollution of the available water. The processed drinking
water and/or excess generated electricity could, for example,
supply a nearby village. Considering that Algeria is one of
the most arid countries in the Mediterranean region, access to
safe drinking water and sanitation would be highly beneficial.
In return, the local community could provide small-scale service
for the PLC and its components. This may include cleaning
the solar panels from sand, refilling the current generators fuel
tank, or even protecting the PLC and the radio tower against
theft or vandalism. This trade-off would reduce the network
operators own costs for maintenance or larger safety installations
for their remote radio towers and would provide access
to electricity, or clean water, for the local population.
The planned provision of renewable energy as either back-up
power, stand-alone power, or stand-alone with a PPP component
is a high visibility project. The realisation will lead to a
more reliable mobile network in Algeria, creating an improved
telecommunication system for both the users and the industry,
and potentially generating excess power which can be used by
local communities, thus being benefiting all parties. All of this
is based on renewable energy that abounds in the region. Stable
telecommunication through the use of sustainable and
environmentally compatible energy sources could be trendsetting
for Algeria, and the rest of the world.
Stand-alone power for remote radio towers.
Renewable Energy | Remote Radio Towers
44 | 45

Visualisation of pilot wind farm
Wind Energy in Libya
CUBE Engineering GmbH
Stefan Chun | General Manager
As one of the world‘s largest crude oil exporters, Libya soon realised the potential of the use of
renewable energy (RE) technologies in its own country (including solar and wind, among others).
Already at the end of the 1970s, proprietary studies, demonstration projects and small
pilot projects were gaining ground in the huge desert country – about 85 % of the land surface is
covered in sand desert or steppe – and fourth largest country in Africa. A larger, national
and commercial use of the technology, however, was confined to the large centres in the west
(Tripoli) and east (Benghazi). At the end of the 1990s, the first wind atlas for the coastal
region was created at Al-Fateh University in Tripolis.
After years of isolation the strong growth of Libya’s economy at
the beginning of this century resulted in a huge demand for
energy. The forecasts called for approximately 10 % growth per
year for the circa 6.5 million inhabitants of the relatively
sparsely populated state. The national energy provider GECOL
(General Electricity Company of Libya) is aware of the finite
nature of oil and gas resources. Over several years, GECOL developed
a strategy for covering the energy demand of its customers
with new and existing technologies. From this, a master plan
was created, which calls for a 10 % share of renewable energies
in generation of power (by 2012 – 2015). For wind energy, this
share represents about 500 MW of installed wind park capacity.

The task
In 2000, the energy providers in Libya searched for experts in
the appraisal of domestic wind energy potential, as well as for
the planning and realisation of the first commercial wind parks.
The main focus aside from the identification of potential
project locations and analysis of wind resources was the knowledge
transfer regarding technology, processes and implementation
to native engineers and scientists.
In February 2001, the contract was given to a German-Danish
consortium under the leadership of CUBE Engineering GmbH,
comprised of the University of Kassel, the Fraunhofer-Institute
for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology (IWES), and EMD
International A/S, with the goal of identifying and implementing
a pilot wind park project with up to 25 MW (originally
planned) installed capacity at a suitable location in Libya. In
2010, the erection of a 60 MW pilot project near Darnah in the
east of the country was begun.
The pilot project
The project was divided into the following four phases:
1 Identification of basics, project identification, analysis and
feasibility study
2 Definition of specifications, manufacturers and tendering
3 Evaluation of bids, contract negotiations and tender awards
4 Construction preparation, construction and supervision
during the warranty period
During all phases, seminars, workshops, on-the-job-training
and visits to comparable projects and manufacturers in Germany
were offered, in order to integrate into the project and
ensure transfer of knowledge to the Libyan engineers and the
project team.
1
Project Identification – The initial situation was not simple:
where should one begin in a country as vast as Libya? In the
beginning, the regions and zones with the potential to host a
wind park of the desired size were identified. Next, the consultants
and project teams agreed that the development of the
wind park should take place in an area where the end users and
suitable existing infrastructure could also be found: on the
coast, where 90 % of the population of Libya lives. Accordingly,
over 40 different regions and locations along the 1,600 km
long coastline from Tripoli to the Egyptian border were scouted.
Engineers travelled up to 40 km inland from the coast in order
to evaluate the height contours (several hundred meters above
sea level). All existing information about topography, meteorology,
infrastructure (i. e. streets and electrical networks), geology,
technical and personnel resources, as well as local knowledge
was collected and evaluated, so that the technical and
financial feasibility of the project could be judged.
Feasibility Study – Five locations in characteristic regions of
the country (Misrata in the West, Sirt in the centre and Al
Maqrun, Tolmeitha and Darnah in the east) were chosen for
more detailed studies and analysis. Wind measurement campaigns
over a period of more than 12 months were conducted at
each location. The results of the measurements were evaluated
and compared to long-term wind data. On the basis of local
topography and the long-term wind conditions which can be
expected, various wind parks with differing manufacturers and
performance classes were developed and modeled. The infrastructure
with respect to civil construction (including soil studies
for foundation, roads and crane hardstandings) and electrical
connection (including points of connection to the grid,
capacity and network quality) with respect to the technical feasibility
were both considered explicitly in the evaluation. Environmental
aspects were assessed likewise. The various wind park
sizes and concepts were evaluated under several different sets of
basic assumptions and cost estimations and evaluated in combination
with the technical feasibility. The results were successfully
presented to the Libyan project team in a large meeting at
the conclusion of the first phase.
The coastal location DARNAH, between Benghazi and Tubruc
in eastern Libya, delivered excellent values for the realisation as
the first commercial wind park: wind resources on a nearly even
plateau (approximately 220 to 240 m above mean sea level) in
proximity to the coast showed a constant speed of around 8 m/s
as a middle long-term value of the wind speed 50 m above
ground. This results in approximately 3,500 to 4,000 full load
hours for a wind park. The city of Darnah with about 160,000
inhabitants (greater Darnah region) has an industrial port and a
very good infrastructure in regard to soil conditions, roads and
network access. There are no existing conflicts in regard to environmental
aspects. The penetration of sand is rather moderate
compared to inland areas and the temperature does not reach
the peaks found in the desert. Permitting interests were taken
care of by the client.
2
Tendering – The detail work began in the next step. On the one
hand, the land and property for the electrical cables must be
secured. Often, estates belong to the various tribes. And here
the interaction with the planned technology must be introduced
to people. For example, the herders and nomads also
have the opportunity to continue using the land between the
turbines. On the other hand, the wind park was “engineered.”
All collected and measured values and information were pre-
Renewable Energy | Wind Energy
46 | 47

Erection of met mast
pared according to technical specifications. The specific locations
of the future wind turbines (WTG), together with the
dimensions and performance classes, was decided. The planning
of the access roads and of the electrical network layout
were drawn on the basis of topographical maps and provided
to the customer in a digital format. The climatic challenges of
Libya in regard to temperature and sand storms made it necessary
to test the materials and different turbine types to ensure
suitability.
Manufacturer identification – In comparison to the technical
specifications of the project, this aspect developed into a large
and time-consuming task, even a challenge. The activities started
in 2001, with the feasibility study presented in 2004. The original
assumptions and conditions – to develop a 25 MW wind park
project in the new Libyan market – no longer matched the current
physical market conditions. International demand for wind
energy was high and manufacturers were no longer as willing as
before to give priority to a small project in an “exotic” land.
Accordingly, client and manufacturer positions had to be
adjusted: the project size grew to a capacity of 60 MW with the
option for another 60 MW, and a political “roadmap” for the further
development of wind energy in Libya was developed. This
gave manufacturers the opportunity to deliver larger volumes
to a land which was seriously following set wind energy goals. At
the same time, the manufacturers had to commit to delivery,
EPC services, erection and supervision during the warranty
period. This meant that, in addition to the political declaration,
the manufacturers had to work together with suitable partners
in Libya.
At the end of this phase (and an updated tender request for
the new project size) at the end of 2007, all tendering documents
for a turnkey delivery and construction of a 60 MW wind park
were ready. In the meantime, the project team had also changed.
With the founding of the renewable energy authority of Libya
(REAOL), this authority had also taken over the lead of the
project.
3
Tender award – The evaluation of various offers was done with
the help of an objective key previously defined by the project
team. Every interested manufacturer was given the opportunity
to ask questions and to get to know the project team and
location. Because the tendering request was given to the manufacturers
with a high level of detail, it was easy to compare the
offers received. The costs for the wind turbine, other necessary
equipment and the erection comprised about 70 – 80 % of the
total costs. In addition to the technical data, a delivery contract
was also included as part of the tendering request documents.
Contract negotiations – In total, four manufacturers submitted
offers. Among other things, the project team was interested
in the manufacturing capacity of the companies, various
turbine concepts, as well as the quality and reliability of the
turbine technology with specific regard to the Darnah location.
Before the contract was signed, production locations and reference
turbines were visited in the summer of 2008, and many
practical questions concerning the realisation were posed and
answered. Already at this step only a select number of manufacturers
were visited.
The consortium of the Egyptian company ELSEWEDY with the
Spanish turbine delivery company MTorres were the successful
winners of the tender. In total, 36 turbines from the manufacturer
MTorres, type TWT 1.65 with 80 m hub height, 70 m rotor
diametre and 1.65 MW named capacity each will be installed at
the Darnah location. The total capacity of the wind park will be
59.4 MW. The turbine technology is characterised by a separately
excited synchronized generator, the power inverter technology
necessary for a network-friendly connection and without a gearbox,
similar to Enercon turbines. The wind park will be implemented
with an outbuilding for supervision and furnished for
operational personnel on site. ELSEWEDY has already been active
in the area of electrical network planning and realisation in
Libya for several years. Several years ago, the Egyptian group
acquired the majority stake in the Spanish manufacturer
MTorres.

4
Construction Preparation – After signing the delivery contract,
the preparations for the building started. In addition to working
out the time and task schedule, the project management
and milestones were defined. The first implementation activities
consist of surveying of individual turbine locations, roads,
cable routes, soil tests and bores and network connection
including equipment ordering, logistical planning of turbine
components delivery and erection, and the final production of
the turbines. The first foundations were prepared and excavated.
The delivery of the turbine components with half of the
total capacity was prepared, sent to Darnah in the spring and
unloaded in the port.
The Arabian Spring at the beginning of 2011 left its mark in
Libya, as well as in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia. After peaceful
demonstrations at the beginning, a stronger conflict has developed
in the country in the last few months. All action in regard
to the wind park project was stopped immediately. The project
will be resumed as soon as the safety and security in Libya are
guaranteed.
Training of local engineers
The potential
In addition to the first wind park pilot project, the consulting
firm CUBE Engineering was commissioned to create the first
national wind atlas for Libya. The wind atlas covers the entire
country in a horizontal resolution of 2.5 km and is available in
calculations for two heights (50 and 80 m above ground). In
four of the five chosen regions, the atlas is offered in a high resolution
model, presented with a resolution of 200 m. The
results of the model were compared to various other long-term
and historical measurement data. According to the commission
description, the wind potentials are shown on the map
with a precision of co +/– 15%.
The results reveal that Libya possesses large areas with very
good wind conditions (average wind speed per year of 7.5 m/s
and more, which represents more than 3,000 full load hours for
a modern turbine). In individual regions, the potentials are significantly
higher and can be taken advantage of more economically.
Within the frameworks of the Libyan “roadmap” and the
DESERTEC-Initiative, more than 1,000 MW of capacity can be
realised. A new beginning based on the energy production from
renewable energies, and here specifically wind energy, would not
be only desirable, but technically and economically solid and
worthwhile. For support and implementation, the country of
Libya and the client can count on lots of help, experience and
expertise from Germany.
Libya locations phase 1
Wind atlas of Libya
Renewable Energy | Wind Energy
48 | 49

Visualization of Nyala wind farm
Installation of a wind measurement
station in Nyala in 2001
Location of the three wind farm sites
First Larger Scale Wind Park Projects
in Sudan
Lahmeyer International
Dr. Patric Kleineidam | Head of Department Renewable Energies –
Wind Energy, Matthias Drosch | Project Manager Wind Energy
In recent years, African countries have started to enter the wind energy market.
However, only Morocco, Egypt and South Africa have implemented large scale wind farms to date.
Kenya has commissioned a pilot wind farm in recent years, and Ethiopia and Nigeria
are currently constructing their first wind farms. Countries such as Tanzania, Lesotho and Ghana
are expected to follow.
One reason for this positive growth is the promising wind conditions
between the Red Sea coast and the African Rift valley.
These wind conditions can be found in Sudan as well. Thus, the
Ministry of Electricity and Dams (MED) of the Republic of
Sudan has decided to develop three wind farm projects with a
total capacity of 300 MW. These three projects are comprised of
the 20 MW Nyala wind farm, 100 MW Dongola wind farm and
180 MW Red Sea Coast wind farm. At all three project locations,
good wind conditions (> 7 m/s) can be found, comparable to
the highest occurrences in Sudan (> 8 m/s). At the Red Sea Coast
a high quality wind measurement campaign is currently under
preparation in order to confirm the expected values, which
have been measured by former wind measurement campaigns.
The development of wind energy in Sudan started in 2001 and
2002, when wind measurement campaigns were undertaken in
southern Darfur as well as northern Sudan to determine areas
of high wind speed. Regarding these, the area near the city of
Nyala, capitol of the state of Janub Dafur, and the northern
region near Dongola village at the western side of the Nile River
have been identified as the most feasible locations for building
wind farms. For these sites, feasibility studies and wind measurements
were performed in 2002 and 2003. At that time Lahmeyer
International, Germany (LI), was already involved as
technical advisor.
Implementation plan
for three wind energy projects
In February 2011, LI was appointed by MED as its consultant to
act as the owner’s engineer for all three projects. The services
comprised the review and update of t he former feasibility
studies as well all design, tendering, contracting and supervision
services leading up to commissioning of the wind farms.
Dongola wind farm, with a total capacity of 100 MW, will be
built in two phases, where Phase I comprises 20 MW and Phase II
comprises 80 MW. The first phase of the project will be connected
temporarily to the existing 33 kV electrical grid. At later
stages, the final wind farm capacity will be connected to the 220
kV grid system, which is currently under construction and will
connect the villages of Dongola and Wawa.

Engineering Partner
worldwide
Energy is the key to development and design of our future. New technologies
allow the reasonable use of renewable energies. Thus, precious primary energy
resources are preserved.
The countries of the Arab League are continuously in Lahmeyer’s focus since 40
years. Currently we are involved in the largest ongoing infrastructure projects.
As an independent company of consulting engineers, Lahmeyer International
provides planning, engineering, management and consultancy services for
economic and technical projects.
Successful solutions to complex technical tasks are based on decades of
experience in extensive infrastructure projects in Africa, Asia and worldwide.
• Thermal Power Generation
• Renewable Energy
• Hydropower
• Water Resources
• Power Transmission
and Distribution
Lahmeyer International GmbH
Friedberger Str. 173
61118 Bad Vilbel, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 6101/55-0
E-mail: info@lahmeyer.de
www.lahmeyer.de
RZ_AZ_LI-Ghorfa_210x135mm_4c.indd 1 18.08.11 10:07
The 20 MW Nyala wind farm is planned to be integrated into
the existing isolated 11 kV-Diesel-grid system, which is currently
an island network with a maximum capacity of 30 MVA
from diesel units. As the city will be connected to the national
main grid, a future connection to the 220 kV grid is taken into
account.
The third project is the development of a wind farm site at
the Red Sea coast area with a total capacity around 180 MW. The
area of this project, which is between Port Sudan International
Airport and Sawakin, was preselected by MED. The Red Sea Coast
project differs from the Nyala and Dongola projects: here on site
wind measurements were not done in previous years. The Red
Sea coast project is still in the initial phase of installing the measurement
equipment and collecting wind measurement data for
further evaluation. The feasibility study for this project will
determine the final location of the wind farm area.
Dongola wind farm in tender process
For the Dongola wind farm project, which will be implemented
as a turnkey project, the request for proposals was launched
recently. The deadline for submission of proposals will be in
August 2011. A contractor will be selected for the turnkeyproject
in October 2011 in order to start with the services in the
first quarter of 2012. Completion of the first phase will be in
2012, followed immediately by the start of Phase II.
Conclusion and perspective
The tender process for Nyala project will be launched in 2011,
followed by evaluation and negotiations in the last quarter
2011. Similar to Dongola, it is also foreseen to start with construction
in 2012. However, due to the remote location of the
Nyala site, a longer period for transportation and construction
must be expected when compared to Dongola.
The tendering for the larger project on the Red Sea coast is
foreseen after the completion of 12 months of wind measurements,
which is expected in 2012.
To conclude, the development of these projects will improve
the electricity production in Sudan by moving from a dependence
solely on fossil fuels to a mix with sustainable energy
sources. To reach this goal, Lahmeyer International is providing
its services based on its comprehensive experience in the field of
wind energy gathered over the previous decades in numerous
projects all over the world.
Renewable Energy | Wind Park Projects
50 | 51

Power
Transmission and Distribution
With increasing electricity and power demands in Arab countries, pressure is
not only exercised on the production side but also on the distribution
and transmission. Interregional and international cooperation is imperative in
this regard, as is highlighted by the GCC power grid for instance and future
networks covering North Africa and linking it to Europe. German companies
have been involved in setting or overhauling existing distribution networks and
their experiences will prove valuable for upcoming projects. This also includes
a more thorough access of oil or gas-driven power plants to high voltage grids.
The reference projects that are presented in this chapter show some
of the successful German participations and activities in Oman and Qatar.
Power Transmission and Distribution
52 | 53

Electricity Interconnection Projects
among Arab Countries
Arab Union of Electricity
Fawzi Kharbat | Engineer, Secretary General
There are many areas of cooperation between the Arab Countries in the electricity sector.
One of the most important areas is the electricity interconnection. The importance
of this interconnection comes from the projects among the Arab Countries on one hand,
and between the Arab countries and Europe on the other hand.
Without doubt, electricity interconnection projects help in
minimizing the investment capitals in new generation capacities.
This has recently been carried out in a detailed study by
the Arab Union of Electricity about the new generation capacities
needed in the Arab Countries during the period 2010 – 2020.
The study estimated that 200 GW of new generation capacities
have to be build over the above mentioned period in all Arab
Countries. The above estimates were based on the average
growth rate of 6 – 10 % in electricity demand over the period
2003 – 2010, while the growth rate in the world is less than 3 %,
and in the developed countries it is around 1.2 %. According to
the forecast announced by electrical utilities in the Arab countries
for the coming 10 years, the growth rates in electricity
demand will keep its high trend as in the past years.
Table 1
Installed capacity in Arab countries
2010 2020
Installed capacity 188 GW 388 GW
Steam turbines 29.8% 35%
Gas turbines 42.5% 25%
Combined cycle 15.3% 27%
Diesel 1.9% 1.4%
Renewable 0.4% 3%
Hydro 5.6% 4%
Nuclear – 1%
Others 4.5% 2.8%

The Eight Countries Interconnection
As a rule of thumb, 20 – 25% of this capacity can be substituted
by the interconnection projects among the countries. In other
words, about US $ 4 – 5 billions can be saved every year over the
coming 10 years.
Another advantage of the interconnection projects is to
exchange energy during the peak demand hours. From the statistical
data collected by the Arab Union of electricity every year,
the timing of peak demand in the east and west Arab countries
takes place in different timing rather in the Arab Gulf countries.
In the east and west countries, peak demand hours are between
18 – 21 hours in the evening, while in the Gulf countries they are
between 13 – 14 hours in the afternoon.
Electricity interconnection
among Arab countries
The cooperation between the Arab countries in electrical interconnection
started in the 1950s. But the quantities of
exchanged energy were modest because of the limited
designed capacity and the low voltage of the interconnection
grids at that time.
In the western Arab countries, Tunis and Algeria were interconnected
in 1953 – 1954 on the voltage of 90 KV. In 1980 – 1984
the connection was enhanced by adding two lines of 150 KV and
220 KV. In 1988 – 1992 the Algerian grid was connected to the
Moroccan with two lines of 220 KV .
As for the eastern Arab countries, the connection between
Syria and Lebanon in 1973 and 1977 was at 66 KV and 230 KV,
while the Syrian and Jordanian grids were first interconnected in
1977 and 1981 at 66 KV and 230 KV.
Technical studies for electrical interconnection between the
Arab Countries at high voltages started after the mid 1980s,
funded by the Arab Fund for Economical and Social Development.
These studies lead to the implementation of many
projects in the eastern and western Arab countries in the late
1990s. Meanwhile the electrical utilities in the Arab Gulf countries
conducted the feasibility studies, and then achieved the
interconnection in stages started in the year 2009.
The following main interconnection projects were completed
and put in operation started in 1998.
Libya
The feasibility study of this project was initiated to interconnect
Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, and Iraq, and then Lebanon,
Libya, and Palestine were added in later stages. (↓ Figure 1)
The following table (2) shows the voltage level of the interconnection
lines, and the operation date of each line. The exchange
energy between the countries in 2010 was 2,467 GWH.
Table 2
Voltage level of the interconnection lines
Eight Countries Project
Country Voltage level KV Date of Operation
Egypt – Jordan 400 1998
Jordan – Syria 400 2001
Syria – Lebanon 400 2009
Syria – Iraq
›››››‹‹‹‹‹
Bulgaria
›››››‹‹‹‹‹
Egypt
Lebanon
Palestine
›››››‹‹‹‹‹
Turkey
›››››‹‹‹‹‹
›››››‹‹‹‹‹
›››››‹‹‹‹‹
Greece
›››››‹‹‹‹‹
›››››‹‹‹‹‹
Syria
›››››‹‹‹‹‹
Jordan
›››››‹‹‹‹‹
›››››‹‹‹‹‹
not yet
Egypt – Libya 220 1998
Jordan – Palestine 132 2008
Iraq – Turkey
not yet
Turkey – Europe 400 2010
In spite of the huge capital cost of the above projects, and the
need of using the interconnection lines to the maximum limit,
the real experience is not satisfactory. The exchange power
between Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Libya was
only 1% of the total generated energy in these countries in
2010. Table (3) shows the exchange power between the above
countries.
Another technical feature in this regard is that the utilization
of the lines capacity does not exceed 25% in best cases. Of course,
the reason behind that is the shortage of excess capacity in most
of the interconnected countries, especially in the summer season.
Iraq
Figure 1:
Eight Countries Interconnection
Transmission | Electricity Interconnection Projects
54 | 55

Table 3
Exchange power in 2010
Eight Countries Project (GWH)
From
To
Europe through Spain. Morocco imports about 4,000 GWH
every year from Spain. This is almost equal to all exchange
power between all Arab countries.
Jordan
Syria
Palestine
Lebanon
Egypt
Libya
Table 4
Exchange power in 2010 between
Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia (GWH)
Jordan 53.7 3.8
Syria 224.2 800 19
Palestine
Lebanon
Egypt 445.8 63 621 116
Libya 120
Total 670 63 53.7 1421 142.8 116
The Maghreb Interconnection
This project includes three countries: Tunis, Algeria, Morocco,
They have a coordination body called COMELEC (includes: Libya,
Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Mouritania), to take care of the
cooperation in the electricity sector in these countries, especially
the interconnection business. The interconnection
started between Tunisia and Algeria since 1953 by two lines of
90 KV, and then new lines with higher voltage were erected. The
interconnection between Algeria and Morocco started in 1992
via a 220 KV line. The necessary lines and installations between
Libya and Tunisia were completed in 2003, but the technical
tests did not get through, and more investigations are required.
Mauritania is still in the study stage.
Country Import Export
Algeria 736 803
Tunisia 19.2
Morocco 4,583* 643
* About 4,000 GWH from Spain
The following table (5) shows the voltage level of the interconnection
lines, and the operation date of each line. The exchange
energy between the countries in 2010 is 2,200 GWH.
Table 5
Voltage level of the interconnection lines
Maghreb Project
Country Voltage Level KV Date of Operation
Tunisia — Algeria
Algeria — Morocco
2*90
220
150
400 → 220
2*220
400 → 220
1953 – 1954
1980
1984
2005
1992 – 1998
2006
Libya — Tunisia 2*225 2003 **
** Libya — Tunisia interconnection is still under testing.
Arab Gulf Countries Interconnection (GCC)
Morocco
Tunisia
This project includes the following countries: Kuwait, Bahrain,
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Emirates, and Oman. The project was
divided into three stages:
›››››‹‹‹‹‹
Algeria
›››››‹‹‹‹‹
›››››‹‹‹‹‹
Libya
Stage 1: Interconnecting Kuwait, Bahrain,
Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
This stage was completed and put in operation in July 2009
using 400 KV overhead lines.
Figure 2
Maghreb Countries Interconnection
Stage 2: Reinforcement and upgrade of the internal networks
in Emirates and Oman.
The work was completed in 2006.
The same feature in the Maghreb Interconnection as in the
Eight Countries Project, the exchange power is less than 2% of
the generated energy in the involved countries. Table (4) shows
the exchange power in 2010 between Morocco, Algeria, and
Tunisia. Morocco is the only Arab country interconnected with
Stage 3: interconnection of Emirates and Oman
with the rest of the countries.
The first part of the work, which connects Emirates with the
common networks, was completed and put in operation in
2011, while Oman is still under study.

Interconnection between Arab countries
and Europe
Iraq
Kuwait
Al Zour
››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
Al Fadhili
››››‹‹‹‹
Ghunan
Saudi Arabia
Arabian
Gulf
››‹‹
›››››‹‹‹‹‹
Salwa
Bahrain
Jasra
Qatar
Doha
›››‹‹‹
›››››‹‹‹‹‹
Shuwaihat
Iran
›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
Figure 3
Arab Gulf Countries Interconnection – GCC
United Arab
Emirates
Oman
Al Wasset
›‹
Al Ouhah
Oman
Gulf
of Oman
In 2003 a study was carried out funded by the European Union
to examine the feasibility of interconnecting the north and
south countries around the Mediterranean Sea. In 2010 an
update study was again carried out for the same purpose. In
the updated study, it was found that interconnection between
both sides of the sea can be achieved by using HVDC technology,
especially the distances between connection points are too
long and the seabed for electric power corridors ranges
between 550 m and 2,000 m as shown in figure 5.
The only existing interconnection with Europe is between
Morocco and Spain. Another project is going on between Tunis
and Italy. A share holding company is established between the
two countries. The purpose is to build a 1,200 MW power station,
and the 500 KV DC interconnection lines between Tunis
and Sicily.
The main characteristics of the project are:
Conclusions and recommendations
– The project is run by a dependent authority, which helps to
work on efficient technical and financial bases.
– Construction of HVDC back to back substation to connect
the Saudi system which uses 60 Hz with other systems
which use 50 Hz. This substation is considered to be the
largest in the world (1,800 MW), and the only one in the
Middle East.
– The design of the interconnection lines is suitable for the
power exchange between the connected countries, but it
needs reinforcement in the future, especially if exporting
power is considered from the Gulf area to Europe.
– The project is considered to be a connection point between
the Gulf countries and the Eight Interconnection Project,
after connecting Egypt networks with Saudi networks,
which is now under studies.
– The exchange power between countries in 2010 was about
322 GWH. This counts about 0.1 % of the generated energy. It
is a modest amount, but it is expected to increase in the
coming years.
1 Three regions of the Arab World are interconnected in an isolated
mode: Mashreq, Maghreb, and the Gulf countries. It is
the time to take the necessary steps to interconnect the rest
of other countries, such as Yemen and Sudan, and to interconnect
the three regions together. The first step was taken
towards this target by connecting Saudi Arabia with Egypt.
2 It is important to complete the interconnection between
Libya and Tunisia as well as Iraq and Turkey, so as to achieve
the interconnection of the south part of the Mediterranean
Sea with Europe.
3 To maximize the benefits of the interconnections, it is necessary
to establish the common Arab electricity market.
4 To facilitate exchanging power between south and north
countries around the Mediterranean Sea, especially from the
renewable projects, European Electrical utilities are required
to help technically and financially to speed up the interconnection
between both sides.
Spain
Italy
›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
Existing 2*400 KV
›››››‹‹‹‹‹
← Length 250 km →
Seabed 550 m
››››››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
Algeria
← Length 330 km →
Seabed 2000 m
›››››››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
›››››‹‹‹‹‹
››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹
Tunisia
››‹‹
››››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
← Length 200 km →
Seabed 670 m
Libya
››››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
← Length 520 km →
Seabed 550 m
Figure 5
Interconnection between Arab countries and Europe
Morocco
Transmission | Electricity Interconnection Projects
56 | 57

Smart Grids –
Powering a Cleaner Energy Future
Smart grids will improve efficiency, reliability and safety
of the power supply chain, a radical shift from the problems faced today.
Siemens Middle East
Dietmar Siersdorfer | CEO Energy Sector, Middle East
Few people purposely set out to waste energy. In fact, if you talk to individuals, corporations,
utilities and governments around the world, everyone is aware of the impending energy
demand growth that will come from the forecasted increase in regional and global population.
The need to spare and share and distribute resources more evenly is crucial now.
Sustainability is the buzzword. The political will is there, the good intentions seem sincere,
but it is not happening fast enough. Not yet. We need to think and act smarter and
technology will be the answer. Experts believe that the world needs intelligent power grids in
order to meet the growing demand for energy in a way that is eco-friendly and reliable.
Consequently, the smart grid industry will see increasingly dynamic growth fueled by climate
change, fast increasing urbanisation, and economic stimulus programs.
Smart grids are a key focus area for industry and energy giants
worldwide. Siemens, for example, is demonstrating expertise
in smart metering, grid intelligence and utility data management
in countries like the UK, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden.
Smart grid technology will see a high degree of intelligence in
the energy systems where all kinds of infrastructure are connected
along the entire energy chain. One of the key advantages
of the smart grid is that every source of energy – conventional,
non-conventional and renewables – can all be fed into
the system that can partially act like a storage for a more strategic
energy use. Combining all areas of expertise gives Siemens
an early starter advantage to help solving the looming
monumental issues of scarcity, power cuts and unreliable
energy supply in the MENASA (Middle East, North Africa and
South Asia) region and beyond.

The Middle East –
moving towards an energy mix
While smart grid technology is already a reality in many western
countries, the uptake in the Middle East market is steadily
gaining momentum. Smart grids will improve efficiency, reliability
and safety of the power supply chain, a radical shift from
the problems faced today. A showpiece of this new energy
thinking in the Middle East is Abu Dhabi’s unique carbon neutral
city, Masdar. As well as delivering the advantages of a smart
grid, Masdar will present the concept of a working research and
development centre as the city builds and expands. The global
environmental advantages of shifting to smart grid technology
are obvious. It is estimated that this shift could save up to one
billion metric tonnes of CO 2 by 2020. In a 2009 Duke Energy
case study in the U.S.A., it revealed that peak demand in America
could be reduced by 20 % resulting in 115 GW of power generation
and transportation capacity to be spared, with financial
savings up to US $ 48 billion for the country’s largest utility
companies.
The Middle East does not have the best reputation for efficient
energy consumption. Even oil rich Saudi Arabia still suffers
power cuts as the country tries to cope with rising power
demand. Various initiatives to resolve the situation are happening
in different countries but the lack of a coordinated
approach is proving costly. The UAE still has the highest per
capita environmental footprint for the third time in a row,
according to a report released in October 2010 by the World
Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). This has not fallen on deaf ears
and the country’s utility leader ADWEA in Abu Dhabi as well as
DEWA in Dubai are looking at ways to make their systems more
energy efficient. Many regional utility companies are running
some kind of pilot scheme with positive feedback. Qatar, Turkey,
Lebanon, and Oman are leading the way with plans for
additional capacity coming on line in the near future.
There is a need to create stronger awareness of the problem. In
the wealthier UAE, particularly in the northern Emirates, there
is a lack of power and the Federal Electricity and Water Authority
(FEWA) has a campaign about electricity & water conservation,
so definitely there is an effort going on by the utilities.
People need to change habits and with heavy subsidies for electricity
and water to citizens in the UAE and other countries, the
incentive is not always obvious. The energy companies are
appealing to people to take the first step and to stop wasting
water and electricity. With this awareness in place, efficient use
of water and energy will be the next focus.
The shift to alternative energy sources in the Middle East
comes at a time when the region realises its increasing dependence
on a mix of energy sources to meet its growing demand.
While grid parity – the point at which alternative means of generating
electricity is equal in cost, or cheaper than grid power –
is still a few years away, solar power for example is gradually
gaining popularity in the Middle East and the surrounding
region. Renewable sources in general could reach 17 % globally
by 2030. For comparison, in 2008, their share was a mere 8 %.
The market for CSP, concentrated solar power, should see strong
growth rates with estimates from 285 MW of new units in 2009
to as much as 3,900 MW a year by 2025, with some coming
from the Middle East. The potential in desert areas is tremendous
and solar power generation is seen as the most important
part of the path breaking Desertec project. This ambitious solar
power project has the support of the EU and developing world
and is encouraging desert regions to harness and develop clean
energy from the sun with a long-term goal of exporting excess
supply to Europe by 2050.
While smart grid technology is already a reality in many western countries,
the uptake in the Middle East market is steadily gaining momentum.
A showpiece of this new energy thinking in the Middle East is Abu Dhabi’s
unique carbon neutral city, Masdar.
Smart grid technology is already helping to bring this information
to the utilities, so they can plan their investments in their
electricity and water networks and forecast demand with a better insight
on how to control the electricity and water usage.
Transmission | Smart Grids
58 | 59

An investment pays back
Sustainable urban energy planning
for a diverse region
Information provided by the smart grid managing all energy
sources as well as consumption, will enable utilities to determine
demand more accurately and to distribute the load more
evenly shaving off peak loads based on the available generation
at any given time. Smart grid technology is already helping to
bring this information to the utilities, so they can plan their
investments in their electricity and water networks and forecast
demand with a better insight on how to control the electricity
and water usage. Currently, the region uses energy on
demand and the randomness of use puts huge pressure on the
system, leading to occasional blackouts at peak times. The
smart grid can help to distribute the load, recognise peak situations
and reserve and shift non-essential loads to off-peak
times. The obvious savings and resultant efficiency in the longterm
will make the investment worthwhile.
The GCC Interconnection Authority wants to lead the way to
establish “a complete interlinking of the infrastructure network
among the GCC states, especially in the fields of electricity,
transportation, communications, and information.” A Royal
Decree established the authority in 2001, and while it strongly
supports and encourages regional integration, the roll out has
been slow. The GCCIA wants to see a reduction in generating
capacity in every system that can be achieved by sharing power
reserves. Lower operating costs should also be an advantage
and perhaps one day, provide the opportunity to engage in
regional and international energy trading. All this appears a
long way off, as each country is busy building its own capacity
for financial and political reasons and also making sure that
they can be isolated in the event of any collective faults in the
regional grid.
There has been no real game changer in the energy sector
until we started talking smart grids. The outdated systems in
place around the world do not make us think too much about
energy usage or wastage. In 2010, the United States of America
and Canada were still suffering unpredicted blackouts in many
cities and few people know how much they pay for their
monthly utilities bill. In such emerging areas, the pressure on
available resources has been swift, demanding and, sadly, dilapidating
and destructive.
More than half the world’s population lives in cities and urbanisation
is expected to increase even further. Without a strategic
plan in place, haphazard energy provision has meant intermittent
services in different areas as we have seen in recent years.
The answer to this challenge lies in more intelligent systems
that are built with a clear view at future demands. Economies
of scale, conservation of energy and convenience to the customers
are essential elements, all of which are best addressed
by smart grids.
Problems appear to be custom built in every country due to
the lack of any coordinated system development over the years.
While waiting for a real crisis to happen cannot be an option,
the threat of an energy catastrophe looms closer every year.
Scientists at the Global Environment Facility, a fund that
works with developing countries on climate change issues, say
the Arab world is at risk. The Arab Forum for Environment and
Development state that rising sea levels and water scarcity will
have a huge impact and one of the big contributors to this in
the region is the United Arab Emirates. The UAE Energy Ministry
expects demand for power to grow to 33,400 MW by 2020, a
more than 80 % rise from current consumption levels. The
country is already struggling to meet demand for natural gas
and while there have been efforts in the UAE to create awareness
among consumers the resulting impact has been minimal.
Further afield is Iraq, the country is suffering for different
reasons. Iraq has had no substantial money spent on electricity
infrastructure, yet, and most people still depend on generators
for power. Kuwait is building its first power plant in 20 years,
and the working day has had to be cut short to ease the pressure
on the power grid. Syria has been plagued by a shortage of
power in recent years, and the World Bank estimates that the
country will need more than US $ 10 billion in investment to
resolve the power dilemma. Egypt has already taken unpopular
action to cut subsidies and is planning on adding new capacity.
Pakistan remains crippled by an ongoing and worsening electricity
crisis that is also threatening the country’s fragile political
situation. Looking around the region, the need to find a
coordinated energy solution is important for sustainable economic
development and social well-being, and inactivity is no
longer an option.
Making the big shift to smart grids will demand investment,
but not doing so will be a more expensive route. Middle Eastern
utilities are beginning to become unbundled, not yet privatised,
so the process is getting easier. Utility companies have
signaled their intention to reduce subsidies and introduce
more realistic electricity and water charges. In the UAE alone
more than 1.5 million smart metres are to be installed and the
information gathered from these meters will help utility com-

A showpiece of a new energy thinking in the Middle East is Abu Dhabi’s
unique carbon neutral city, Masdar. As well as delivering the advantages
of a smart grid, Masdar will present the concept of a working research
and development centre as the city builds and expands.
panies plan for the future. There will be a lot of infrastructure
to be invested in by the utilities to be able to use this information;
there will be new control centres and new technologies
that will help the utilities to control the usage of electricity and
water.
This is where Siemens sees huge market potential in the
near future. It is just a first step, and the smart meter is just one
component of the smart grid. The stability of the grid is equally
essential and the technology exists to measure and sustain this
stability in order to prevent blackouts. Phasor measurement
systems that will monitor the stability of the grid will need to
be installed to ensure consistency and efficient operation
across all demand cycles. I estimate that each country will need
to initially invest approximately US $ 20 to US $ 30 million to
kick-start this initiative. I am encouraged by the fact that many
utilities in the Middle East region have the money in reserve as
part of their initial energy upgrade plans.
Changing consumer behaviour is never an easy task, yet,
this will be the key component in delivering energy efficiency.
By controlling their behaviour and using energy when it is least
expensive, consumers can help their utilities as well as themselves.
In more developed environments, customers are already
demanding greater transparency regarding their personal
power and water consumption. Many countries in the Middle
East have already initiated public awareness campaigns.
Schools and utility companies are cooperating in targeting
junior schools and delivering more public awareness campaigns,
but cheap energy in the Middle East has produced
nations of energy addicts with little need or consideration for
conservation. Energy, particularly electricity and clean water,
has become a basic human right. Its supply and maintenance
demands finance and upkeep from utilities and governments
but people also need to demonstrate more responsible attitudes
towards these invaluable resources.
The key to a sustainable future for the region lies in investing
in smart grid technologies and investing in educating people
to develop more responsible attitudes towards consumption
of invaluable and ever depleting natural resources.
Transmission | Smart Grids
60 | 61

Ground breaking for Dukhan Road Super
Doha is growing
Qatar Grid
Expansion Project
Fichtner GmbH & Co. KG
Anne-Katrin Schneider | Project Assistant, Nebojsa Jokanovic |
Project Engineer and Carsten Mohr | Projects Director
“Al Dahama”, Arabic for the flower of the spring, was chosen as the logo for the campaign
waged by the desert country of Qatar in its bid to host the Olympic Games in 2016.
This is indeed an apt symbol for this pulsing, colorful Emirate.
Although Doha’s application was unsuccessful in this case, it
has already been selected as the venue for the Soccer World
Cup in 2022. Doha, the capital of Qatar, used to be an enormous
construction site for some time now: there is hardly any corner
of the city where construction is not underway and there is no
traffic link that does not have to be diverted twice per year for
upgrading and widening. Everything is to be made bigger, better,
quicker and, above all, more modern. This is certainly a
realistic objective, thanks to the availability of revenues from
the second biggest natural gas deposits in the world. To keep
pace with the breathtaking rate of growth, the state-owned
energy supply utility, KAHRAMAA, has instituted an expansion
programme for its electrical networks, split into several phases.
In December 2005, a consortium of Fichtner and the Serbian
company Energoproject was awarded a contract for rendering
engineering services of Phase VI of this expansion programme.
88 new 220/132/66/11 kV transformer substations as
well as the extension of 27 existing transformer substations
with transformer ratings totalling 5.3 GVA and a capital investment
volume of just about € 1.0 billion had to be planned, constructed
and connected to the national grid.
A site office was opened in early 2006 and the number of
employees steadily rose, as in autumn 2006 the joint venture
was retained for the subsequent Phase VII of the project. Within
Phase VII, additional three new 400/220/132/66/11 kV transformer
substations on the newly introduced 400 kV EHV level
as well as an additional 32 substations on the 220/132/66/33/11
kV levels, with transformer ratings totalling 16.2 GVA and a capital
investment volume of just about € 1.6 billion had to be
planned, constructed and connected to the national grid.

In both expansion phases, gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) technology
was used throughout with a total of 1,744 feeders. 175
power transformer units were installed, exclusively threephase
transformers in units of 800 MVA and 315 MVA as autotransformers
and 200 MVA, 160 MVA, 100 MVA, 40 MVA, 10 MVA
as multi-winding transformers. The projects were rounded off
by 145 km of XLPE cables, computerised state-of-the-art switchgear/SCADA
technology based on IEC 61850 and telecommunications
employing SDH technology hooking up the substations
to the national load dispatch centre via redundant high-speed
fibreglass data channels.
In order to assess the dimensions of these expansion phases,
it is to be mentioned that the capacity of each of the eight 800
MVA transformer units installed is in the same range as the
installed power of a modern coal fired combined cycle power
station actually under construction in Germany (e. g. in Karlsruhe
or Wilhelmshaven) and even higher than the total
installed capacity of many countries in the world bigger than
Qatar.
Due to the complexity of the project and number of interfaces
involved and despite the huge investment volume, the
works related to phases VI and VII were attributed to two main
contractors only, a consortium of Siemens Germany and Siemens
India (Siemens) and a consortium of ABB Germany and
Nexans France (ABB/Nexans). The higher number of substations
and its connections to the existing grid involved in this
challenging task were engineered, procured and constructed
(EPC) by Siemens whereas ABB/Nexans was awarded with the
engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the other
substations and the important task of introducing the new
400 kV voltage level. Both EPC contractors were already familiar
with the local conditions due to previous projects with KAH-
RAMAA.
The project management and lead engineers for the different
work portions were deployed to the Doha office as KAH-
RAMAA’s direct counterparts. This core team was supported by
additional engineering staff for participating in design workshops,
managing interfaces between contracts and with local
authorities, reviewing contractors design documents, drawings
and calculations, supervising the construction of the works
and commissioning.
In addition, the Doha office was supported by a dedicated
engineering team in the Stuttgart head office who provided
expertise in special fields of application and carried out about
250 shop inspections in Europe, Asia or South America in line
with KAHRAMAA quality requirements. The services rendered
summed up to more than 1,400 man-months.
It goes without saying that within a project of this order of
magnitude, problems were unavoidable: this started with the
struggle to gain possession of the concrete that was also needed
for constructing new roads and hundreds of high-rise buildings,
and ranged up to conflicts regarding transportation for
the building material that had to be brought to the construction
sites.
Even the port capacity was no longer sufficient at certain
times to land the urgently required material for the construction
sites. The subsoil, too, was always good for springing surprises.
Sometimes it was the groundwater and at others it was
the torrential rain that filled the excavation pits, or huge
underground caverns that were suddenly encountered during
excavation and that had to be filled to allow the erection of the
structures. As a result, many construction sites remained
brightly lit even in the middle of the night, as deadlines were
tight and had to be met without fail.
However, all these efforts were finally crowned with success.
The installations with the highest supply priority came on
stream already in the final quarter of 2008, and by the first
quarter of 2011 commissioning of all substations and network
connections had been completed.
Remaining consulting services concern the warranty period,
which is 24 months, and includes monitoring for warranty
cases – a service likewise provided by the consortium of Fichtner
and Energoproject.
HV cable drum
400 kV GIS substation in Abu Naklah Super
Transmission | Qatar Grid Expansion Project
62 | 63

Installation of a 132 kV line on concrete masts, near Nimr, in Oman
Market Introduction
of Innovative Mast Solutions in the Middle East
Europoles GmbH & Co. KG
Tobias Fersch | Head of Special Projects
Rising energy demand as a result of industrialisation and population growth require the
expansion of power networks and the enhancement of mains reliability. This applies especially
to the high-growth regions of the Middle East. In order to meet such increasingly demanding
requirements, new and innovative solutions for overhead power lines play a critical role.
Initial situation in Oman
Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), the petroleum enterprise
in the Sultanate of Oman, has experienced serious problems
with the wooden pole systems that they have used until
now. Their greatest difficulties involve pole fires caused by arcovers
on polluted insulators. Also responsible here is the
extreme desert climate with scarce precipitation, very high
maximum temperatures, enormous daily temperature fluctuations,
and a huge amount of dust and salt in the air. Additional
problems with the wooden pole systems used previously
were greatly non-uniform pole quality, extreme pole sensitivity
to ambient conditions, and damage from termites and fungus.
These problems had costly consequences for PDO, since
every site in its oil fields requires power supply. Power outages
result in very expensive shutdowns of pumping. The solution
for Oman was the use of spun-concrete masts made of highstrength
concrete.

Background information
on high-strength spun concrete
Centrifuge technology for spun-concrete production has been
applied for more than 50 years now, and has been continuously
developed further by the application of high-strength concrete.
One special feature of this production technique is the centrifuging
process, in which the concrete rotates horizontally in
molds at approx. 600 rpm on a spinning machine. This process
distributes the freshly mixed concrete uniformly and
presses it against the steel mold shells at 20 g. This produces an
absolutely smooth and visibly nonporous concrete, in addition
to a homogeneous concrete structure with extremely high
strength. As a result, the compressive strength of this concrete
is up to three times the values of normal concrete used in highrise
construction. The poles and masts are prestressed with
steel strands, which produces a very high loadbearing capability
with extremely slender pole and mast cross-sections.
Concrete masts as a backbone
of oil production
To solve the problems described above, with their overhead
power-transmission lines, PDO decided on the use of spun-concrete
masts as a replacement for wooden poles. The facts that
convinced PDO were the high durability of concrete masts with
respect to corrosion and extreme climate conditions – and the
grounding system that is integrated inside the masts. Masts
from 12 to 22 m in length were installed, with their foundations
provided directly in the limestone ground.
In addition, it was possible to increase the distance between
the masts from 80 to more than 100 m, which reduced the
total number of masts by 25 %. This did not only save erection
and foundation costs, but also allowed fewer crossarms and
insulators. This meant that power-line costs per kilometre were
similar to the old wooden systems – but the concrete solution
would save money in the long run since there would be no further
costs for preventive or corrective maintenance.
After the very successful installation and use of Europoles
33 kV overhead transmission lines, the first trial section for 132
kV lines on concrete masts was planned and constructed. The
old distance of 100 m between the wooden poles had been doubled
to 200 m for the concrete masts. This halved the number
of masts and foundations. Likewise, this solution eliminated
the problem of pole fires which had occurred very frequently
with the 132 kV lines – and which had led to the complete shutdown
of entire oil fields. Oil output losses in the range of several
million U.S. dollars ceased therefore. A further benefit was
the replacement of the 18 m wooden poles (which were difficult
to procure and very expensive) by an industrially produced
product.
The cyclone Phet, which swept over Oman in 2010 with wind
velocities of more than 150 km/h, represented a severe test for
the new concrete masts. The wooden poles suffered great damage,
with several kilometres of lines torn down in places. There
were no damages to the concrete masts – which prompted the
public power companies in Oman to install concrete masts for
the power supply to the communities they served.
Setting up a local mast production
in Nizwa, Oman
Until late 2008, Europoles shipped a total of well over 2,500
concrete masts for its first projects in Oman by train and by
ship from Germany to Oman. The objective of Europoles development
of the market in Oman, however, was from the very
beginning to set up local production of concrete poles and
masts. Local manufacture in Oman offers great advantages,
owing to ease of access to the required resources, which are
practically universally available. Proximity to the raw materials,
local labor, and short distances to the installation sites enable
short, flexible, and dependable delivery times. Logistical
expenses are furthermore minimized in comparison to distant
production sites. All these factors result in an enormous degree
of planning and supply security.
Europoles, together with Rukun Al Yaqeen – a prominent supplier
in the area of overhead transmission lines that has access
to an outstanding network on the Omani market – founded the
joint venture Europoles Middle East and celebrated the ground
breaking for construction of an advanced plant in Nizwa for prestressed
spun-concrete masts in March 2008.
The result was a factory with a shop-floor area of 3,100 m²,
on a total site of 36,000 m². The new equipment procured for
this installation included a mixing plant, a concreting gantry,
and a centrifuge for masts up to 22 m in height. The total
investment volume for the factory amounted to approximately
US $ 13 million. Production trials at the new spun-concrete
plant in Oman began already in November 2008, when the first
complete mast was lifted out of its steel mold. The production
facility was officially opened in spring 2009.
Technology transfer and quality management
The plant in Oman is integrated into the Quality Management
Systems of the Europoles Group. The quality specifications
applied in Oman are the same as those in Germany – and the
Nizwa plant is regularly examined by internal audit. To achieve
certification in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001:2008, it was
necessary to successfully transfer the technologies that had
been effectively employed and continuously developed in the
Transmission | Market Introduction of Innovative Mast Solutions
64 | 65

Training of local staff and creation of jobs
concrete mast factory in Germany to Oman. The high-strength
concrete is produced with a fully automated mixing plant outfitted
with sensors for moisture, temperature, density, and the
like. In such production work, an ice generator especially developed
for the Europoles plant is continuously in use. The raw
materials cement, water, etc. are analysed and evaluated in
advance in the company lab and by out-of-house testing institutes
– a process that identifies the best local suppliers and also
guarantees the quality of the concrete in Oman on the very
highest level.
The Oman factory is certified in accordance with ISO 9001
as well as the environmental standards in ISO 14001, and is officially
authorised to supply the European market. The masts
carry the CE mark, which guarantees that they are in line with
European standards.
To assure high production standards in Oman, Europoles Middle
East has extensively invested in professional training of its
Omani factory colleagues in Germany. The staff in Nizwa is
drawn as extensively as possible from the local professional
market, and the many young Omani colleagues hold various
supervisory positions in the plant, ranging from foremen to
plant management. The Omani share of the total plant workforce
has already reached 50 % in the initial phase of the factory
launch.
The first 16 Omani colleagues were trained in an integrative
project in the Europoles parent plant in Germany. The Nizwa
plant creates 120 jobs in Oman, as well as additional employment
in Germany through the technical and administrative
support provided. In addition, Europoles staff from Germany
trains their Omani colleagues in Nizwa, who also receive ongoing
development training in Germany.
The success of the factory in Nizwa – especially in the sense of
career advancement for the Omani staff, maintenance of high
quality standards, and use of locally provided resources – was
recently honoured with a special award. Participating for the
first time in the contest for His Majesty’s Cup Award for the Best
Five Factories in Oman, Europoles Middle East won the award in
December 2010 against 40 other competitors in the country.
Flexural test being conducted
on a 26 m spun-concrete mast in Neumarkt, Germany
The shop floor for
spun-concrete masts at the
Nizwa plant in Oman
An Omani colleague receives on-the-job training in the Europoles plant
in Germany. Shown at the top right of the photo:
His Majesty’s Cup Award for the Best Five Factories in Oman

A 33 kV section pole in a coastal area, near Al Ashkara, Oman
Additional projects in Arabian countries
Owing to their good growth prospects, Arabian countries are
especially interesting for Europoles GmbH & Co. KG – particularly
in the field of infrastructure. Together with local partner
companies, Europoles is prepared to invest in promising markets.
In this sense, Europoles intends to use Oman as a base for
further entry into the Middle East. There are, in addition, sales
offices for North Africa in Algeria and Morocco. Experience
gained in Oman will also benefit North Africa. In the planned
North African production plant, pre-stressed spun-concrete
poles will be produced for development of North African infrastructure:
including railway electrification, power supply,
antenna supports for communication, and illumination of
streets and roads. These efforts will create 300 new jobs, and
Europoles’ own training centre will operate there.
Pre-stressed concrete masts and towers made of high-strength
concrete not only have an exceptional long life cycle (more
than 80 years, according to scientific investigations), but also
offer greater performance features – both of which represent
ideal product characteristics for the demanding climate
regions of the Arabian world. Owing to their cost effectiveness,
they offer the ideal basis for sustainable development of infrastructure,
and they promote the local economy by production
in the area.
Transmission | Market Introduction of Innovative Mast Solutions
66 | 67

Energy Efficiency
While efforts are being taken to make the production and distribution of
energy and electricity more sustainable, the most effective solution to avoid
rising prime energy consumption costs and environmental damages is to
reduce the demand of electricity in the first place. Energy efficiency and green
building architecture play a central role in the overall plans to promote
energy sustainability. Better insulation techniques and resorting to vernacular
architectural solutions are ways to achieve higher energy efficiency.
As Germany is implementing its scheme to overhaul its real estate structure
and make it more energy-efficient, technological leadership of German
companies will also lead to an increasing German participation in the
improvements in energy efficiency in the Arab world. Legal frameworks and
encouraging programs to promote the energy efficiency in Arab countries
are underway and both sides can profit from each others’ experiences.
This chapter looks at Arab-German projects on energy efficiency in the United
Arab Emirates, Jordan and North Africa.
Energy Efficiency
68 | 69

Energy Efficiency
in the Construction Sector in the Mediterranean
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Florentine Visser | Med-Enec Key Expert, Dr. Nikolaus Supersberger |
Senior Business Developer Energy, International Services
Economic development improves living standards; however, the reverse side is an increase
of energy consumption, also in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries.
With growing populations in this region the national energy consumption is rising even more.
In addition to that the energy prices are expected to rise,
whether for oil, gas or electricity, as a result of a growing
demand on the world energy market and due to a decrease in
supply together with higher supply costs. Therefore governments
in the South East Mediterranean region are starting to
remove subsidies on energy prices as it is becoming a heavy
load for the state budget.
Energy saving is becoming a key issue not only for the economic
development and energy security of a country, but it
also pays off for companies and individual households. The
benefit for all is that the reduction of energy consumption
helps to lower the emission of greenhouse gases, thus contributes
to environmental sustainability and avoiding the negative
effects of climate change: rising of temperature and sea level,
floods and droughts.
Electricity Consumption Building Sector
(% of Total Electricity Consumption)
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Source: MED-Enec
58 56
40 40
70 62
47 47
ALG EGY Jor Leb Mor Pal Tun Syr

Administrative building for the South Sinai Governorate Project in Egypt.
Source: MED-ENEC
Policy Development
In the southern and eastern Mediterranean countries the
building sector is responsible for up to 60 % of the final electricity
consumption. At the same time, this sector has the highest
potential for energy savings and the use of renewable energies.
Thus, energy efficiency addresses crucial energy challenges
in the Euro-Mediterranean region.
MED-ENEC is a regional project funded by the European
Union promoting the use of energy efficiency measures and
renewable energy systems in southern and eastern Mediterranean
countries. The second phase of the MED-ENEC project
started its activities in January 2010 and is planned for a period
of four years. It is implemented by a consortium led by the
Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit
(GIZ). The project covers the nine southern Mediterranean
countries: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco,
Occupied Palestinian Territories, Syria, and Tunisia. The project
takes on a holistic approach: Apart from policy advice and business
development, technical assistance is provided to support
building projects, to enhance their energy performance and to
enable them to act as multipliers of climate friendly technologies
and measures. Within this framework all support activities
are based on requests of the projects counterparts.
Key aspect for effective measures is the existence of a supportive
policy framework and a clear national strategy. In November
2010, the Arab Electricity Efficiency Directive has been
adopted by the League of Arab States. States that are interested
in adopting the directive are requested to set an EE target in a
National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP), according to a
template developed for the region by the Regional Center for
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) in Cairo,
Egypt and Euro-Mediterranean Energy Market Integration
Project (MED EMIP), also a EU funded project.
Source: MED-ENEC, MED-EMIP
Energy Efficiency | Construction Sector in the Mediterranean
70 | 71

Following up MED-ENEC supports its partner countries in developing
and adopting their NEEAP. The plan sets out the overall
strategy on energy efficiency, identifies major processes, applications,
sectors, and cross-sectional activities of effective and
highest impact. Most important, it identifies economic and
sustainable solutions and is the first step into an ongoing
improvement. Lebanon was the first country to adopt its own
NEEAP with MED-ENEC, and the NEEAPs for the Occupied Palestine
Territories and Jordan are under preparation at the time of
writing this article (August 2011).
The development of a national energy efficiency strategy
reveals that there are abundant choices with differing levels of
costs and impacts. In order to improve decision-making in the
field of energy savings, MED-ENEC supports Budget Allocation
Charts (BAC) which was developed by MED EMIP. The basic idea
behind a BAC is developed by MED EMIP to visualize in one
chart a country’s option to either expand electrical power generation
capacity based on renewable or fossil fuel energy
resources, or slow down demand through energy efficiency and
energy conservation measures. In other words, the challenge is
balancing demand and supply options in a most cost effective
manner taking into account the potential of each option.
Financing and incentives programmes for EE
Even though energy efficiency measures pay off in the long
run, finding finance is still a challenge in many countries. Yet,
there are many financing options available. In order to provide
a comprehensive overview MED-ENEC established an online
Green Training and Community Centre of the Towns Association
for Environmental Quality in Israel. Source: MED-ENEC
database which identifies all financing instruments currently
relevant for energy efficiency in the building sector and facilitates
access to them for the south-east Mediterranean countries.
Information on the financing organisation, the supported
technologies or measures, the eligible countries, type of financing
and financing range can be found here. Furthermore,
description and links are provided on financing and incentive
instruments.
To support the business community, MED-ENEC also facilitates
the search for business partners in the sector. The businessto-business
portal has more than one hundred registrations of
suppliers and attracts more than 600 visitors per month.
Building Projects
During MED-ENEC’s phase I pilot projects proved the technical
feasibility of energy saving individual buildings. However, the
financial feasibility was not yet satisfying in many cases and
an important lesson learnt was that there are high transaction
costs for these single projects.
To overcome the economic barriers, the second phase of
MED-ENEC addresses large building projects. New urban developments
provide a wide range of opportunities for improving
EE, from zoning, urban planning, architectural design, construction
and installation technologies many steps can taken
to reduce the energy consumption cost and CO 2 emissions. The
economies of scale provide cost benefit advantages and allow
for new business development in the energy efficiency and
renewable energy sectors.
The large building projects, whether developed by the public or
private sectors, include urban planning aspects, neighbourhood
development (a residential or multi-functional – mixed
commercial – setting), architectural design, construction
detailing, execution and verification of the actual results
through monitoring. The steps are part of the Methodology for
Cost Effective Energy Efficiency that MED-ENEC promotes
through out the region.
Methodology for Cost Effective Energy Efficiency.
Source: MED-ENEC, Ms. Florentine Visser 2011

Outlook
Currently MED-ENEC’s consortium partner Ecofys is working
with the Jordan Development Zones Company to set the energy
efficiency targets for the Dead Sea Zone Development in Jordan.
These energy targets will be incorporated in the tendering documents
and permitting procedures to investors and developers.
Technical assistance to improve the energy performance of
large building projects in Tunisia and Morocco is in preparation
(August 2011).
Awareness
Awareness raising and capacity building activities are additional
important elements of a policy-mix that aims at developing
the EE/RE market. Especially the large building projects
enjoy a high visibility and can convince the general public and
professionals that energy saving makes sense and provides
economic benefits for the end users.
Furthermore, the experiences of large building projects can
provide feedback for policy development on the remaining
barriers and necessary improvement of framework conditions
for energy efficient building.
For MED-ENEC, an important means of communication is
the webpage (www.med-enec.eu) which not only gives an overview
over the above mentioned initiatives but also provides an
interactive learning section which informs about energy efficiency.
The regional awareness activities are being prepared in close
cooperation with the League of Arab States.
An integrated package of regulation and standards (including
control and enforcement), financial support and incentives,
information, awareness, training, education as well as research
and development activities has improved economic framework
conditions. And this needed to motivate the business development.
With current outlook on increasing energy prices and
reduction of energy subsidies energy efficiency and renewable
energy is an emerging market in the south-east Mediterranean
region.
The holistic approach of MED-ENEC supports the identification
of the most (cost-)effective energy efficiency and renewable
energy measures. And it promotes to feed this in the policy
mix. But there is no such thing as a “best” policy instrument.
Each country needs to work out a comprehensive analysis of
individual framework conditions and barriers and has to
design an adapted policy package, addressing the specific situation
of the country.
MED-ENEC is looking forward to promote success stories of
energy savings from the private sector. Therefore it is collecting
case studies to be published next year, to show decision
makers and the general public that it is feasible and cost efficient
to save energy.
Furthermore upcoming activities are
– energy efficiency building codes (implementation, enforcement
and regional harmonisation),
– financing conference to bring European and Arab financial
institutions together in order to develop appropriate
financing products for EE and RE improved building
projects,
– training workshops for energy audits,
– development of regulation and certification of energy service
companies
– and the technical support to large building projects.
These actions are initiated by MED-ENEC to support market
maturity for energy efficiency and renewable energy, to reduce
the CO 2 emission and to make more efficient use of fossil
energy resources. A better future for all!
Process for cost effective improvement of building energy performance
Source: MED-ENEC, Ms. Florentine Visser 2011
Energy Efficiency | Construction Sector in the Mediterranean
72 | 73

1 The structural design of the
Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Centre
was created by a specific software.
© Bollinger + Grohmann, Frankfurt
Innovation
through Tradition and Technology
Bollinger + Grohmann
Dr.-Ing. Lamia Messari-Becker | Head of Sustainability and Building
Performance and Enrico Santifaller, M. A. | Head of Communications
Integral design as a basis for energy-efficient buildings –
experiences of structural engineers and façade planners
The efficient use of energy and a targeted application of
resources do not always require elaborate and correspondingly
expensive technology. The projects developed for the Arabian
area by the structural engineers and façade planners Bollinger
+ Grohmann, together with renowned architects and experts,
are characterised instead by the well considered engagement
of a whole range of technologies, with great respect for the traditional
knowledge and culture of the region. This association
makes the project innovative, while the synthesis of environmental
technologies, economic responsibility and socio-cultural
empathy makes the buildings sustainable. A prerequisite
for modern buildings that fulfil all of these requirements is
integral design: the cooperation of architects and specialist
engineers at the earliest possible point in the project, as well as
the constant and direct communication of all participants
throughout every project phase. This common approach has
proven to be particularly advantageous in the last few years,
not only from a cost efficiency perspective but also in terms of
meeting deadlines and general quality assurance. Early coordination
on architecture, structure, façade and building services
as well as consideration of sustainable construction requirements
are of great importance with regards to minimising
resources and energy costs during operation.
Fully independently of form, function and dimension, the
main purpose of a building is to establish a pleasant, i. e. userfriendly
climate and even adequate lighting in the interior. An
aspect that initially appears trivial can become the major consumer
of primary energy if climate control and lighting are
purely artificial. If, in contrast, the structure is tailored to the
lighting, for example, the building shell contributes to the
minimisation of heating loads, i. e. if all building parts fulfil
their roles in the sense of a comprehensive energy concept
which takes into consideration complex and entirely diverse
factors, then both the costs and the consumption of primary
energy during operation will be reduced. Additional cost savings
can be achieved by using available knowledge as well as
locally available resources such as water or solar radiation, i. e.
manufacturing or transport resources with low energy consumption.

2 The show rooms of the museum,
who require few daylight,
were situated above ground.
© Bollinger + Grohmann, Frankfurt
Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Centre, Al Ain,
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
The Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Centre, which is scheduled
to open in February 2012, will form the central building of the
Al Ain Wildlife Park and is at the same time a spectacular prelude
to a series of planned residential quarters. Combining
museum, cinema and public meeting point in one, this striking
building spirals upwards to a viewing plateau where an
impressive view of the highest mountain peak of the Al Ains
can be enjoyed. The building and energy concept developed by
Chalabi architects and Bollinger + Grohmann focuses primarily
on minimising the requirement for cooling energy to counteract
the extreme solar radiation in the Arab Emirates. One initial
measure was to place various rooms such as the cinema,
visitor areas and lounges underground, whereby these areas
receive their daylight via controllable skylights. On the other
hand, the museum area requires little daylight, therefore it is
located in the above-ground part of the building, the shape of
which resembles a tyre and corresponds to a bridge support in
terms of construction (figure 1). The predominantly closed
building shell was largely designed using three-dimensional
computer models. The few needed openings were then distributed
to correlate with the structural requirements. The diamond
shape construction of these openings allows an optimised
distribution of forces in this area (figure 2). The overall
thickness of the outside walls is 60 cm – 15 cm of which is thermal
insulation; this results in optimum conditions in terms of
construction physics.
Further measures address the ventilation: with the help of
tubes dug in the ground, the fresh air supply is pre-cooled without
the use of energy before reaching the ventilation control
centre. Solar power for hot water preparation is generated outside
the property due to solar collectors. A photovoltaic system
for the production of electricity using solar power is located on
the roof. The energy-efficient activation of ceilings and walls,
in which water-filled pipes are installed, facilitates temperature
regulation and thus, ensures comfort within the building.
Adiabatic systems, i. e. evaporative cooling towers, vacuum toilets,
waterless urinals and special fittings are employed to
reduce the water consumption. All the measures employed will
be enough to have the building certified for “LEED Platinum”
and the local “Estidama Five Pearls” equivalent.
King Fahad National Library,
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The soon to be completed King Fahad National Library in the
Saudi capital Riyadh consists principally of an extension to an
existing library, crowned with a dome. This library will serve as
a book repository in the future, whilst a transparent, squareshaped
new-build will accommodate reading rooms, openaccess
areas, exhibition areas, restaurants, and an imposing
entrance. The cross-shaped original building from the 1980s
will be refurbished in line with conservation practice and integrated
into the new building; the old reinforced concrete dome
will be replaced by an open reading area under a new, very
finely structured steel-glass dome (figure 3). The design was
jointly developed by Gerber architects, Bollinger + Grohmann
and DS-Plan and combines respect for regional tradition with
state of the art technology.
This is symbolically evident in the building shell: it consists
of a textile façade enveloping a glass skin and is modelled on
Energy Efficiency | Innovation through Tradition and Technology
74 | 75

Competition – Place Lalla Yeddouna,
Medina, Fès, Morocco
the tensile-loaded tent constructions of the region and the traditional
use of wall screens. The diamond-shaped textile membranes,
which are tensioned in three dimensions by steel
cables, serve as fixed sun screens (figure 4). Yet they permit
maximum lighting and transparency. This was possible with
the aid of a slender construction of a total of 400 galvanised
steel cables arranged over two levels. This computer-developed
design avoids penetrating solar radiation and the associated
heat loads on the one hand, whilst on the other it enables a
guaranteed open view from all office spaces and reading rooms.
The potential risk of deformations due to horizontal movement
of the façade caused by wind was considered in the structural
design. The combination of structure design and façade
planning from a single source led to an optimised and energyefficient
result. A further constituent of the energy concept is
the extraordinarily efficient layered ventilation, which is based
on the idea of utilising thermal air streams: cool air is fed into
the ground floor, and once it is warmed it makes its way
upwards and escapes through the roof. The lounge areas
located at the bottom have a constantly pleasant climate as a
result of this. The fact that it was possible to integrate an existing
building into the national library further reduced the use
of resources during the creation of the building.
The revitalisation of one of the quarters of the Moroccan old
town of Fès – Place Lalla Yeddouna – was the subject of an international
competition in 2010. The proposal developed by Kolb
Hader Architekten and Bollinger + Grohmann provided primarily
for the preservation and the refurbishment of important
buildings in this neighbourhood. Secondly, a two-floor multifunctional
new-build was intended to link not only these buildings
but also to form a bridge over the river Fès and thus, create
a connection with the neighbouring quarter (figure 5). The proposal
reached the competition final and took into account the
construction methods in the Medina and also integrated
regional know-how in the field of climate control.
The climate control and energy concept rested on two intentions:
to reduce the heat input through solar radiation and
thus, the cooling energy demand, and to cover the remaining
energy requirements by means of available resources and natural
effects. A multifunctional building shell was intended not
only to address the load bearing function but also to assume
climate control. This wall was to capture the solar heat power
and minimise it with the help of groundwater introduced into
the wall as cooling. So-called water-walls were integrated on
the north side, where water flows along the entire length of the
walls. The water evaporates and in doing so removes heat from
4 Detail of the textile facade:
the diamond-shaped textile membranes serve as fixed sun screens.
© Gerber Architekten International, Dortmund

Conclusion
the ambient air. The cooler air is then conducted into the
rooms by means of quiet booster fans, which exploit the natural
air flow. A double-shelled roof, which likewise utilizes the
natural air flow and generates hot water, the use of clay bricks
on the internal side of the walls as a natural moisture regulator,
as well as the use of sheep’s wool as a natural material for the
10 cm thick insulation are further constituents of the climate
control concept. In a bazaar quarter, which is in operation 24
hours a day and which has hardly heard of any transport
method other than camels, it was also important to develop a
method of construction that would be suitable for the local
conditions. Ceiling elements were therefore proposed which
are manufactured and installed on-site in segments. The use of
regional materials and Moroccan trades was intended to create
jobs and involve local people. Thus, the overall concept took
social responsibility into account as well.
Building design that targets resource savings is the total sum
of a whole series of tailored measures to complement one
another – as is apparent from the projects described. This sum
cannot be equated with a checklist where all items simply have
to be ticked off. On the contrary, depending on location, on
region, on the local knowledge and resources available, various
measures have to be taken in order to produce an energy-effective
building. The application of technology is a component of
these measures, although planning in a team that respects tradition
but at the same time goes beyond traditional limits is
more important, as this is what leads to innovation.
5 The proposal for the Medina of Fés connects neighbouring quarters.
© Kolb Hader Architekten, Vienna/Berlin
3 The textile façade of the new National Library
is a reminiscent to the traditional use of wall screens.
© Gerber Architekten International, Dortmund
Energy Efficiency | Innovation through Tradition and Technology
76 | 77

Hardening car with reinforcement
Autoclaves for optimised curing
Block shifting device for reinforced panels
Energy Efficiency
with AAC Building Materials
Masa GmbH
Peter Sommer | Marketing Director
Environmental friendly production, energy efficiency, high thermal insulation, easy workability,
easy handling and transportation – advantages that speak for themselves and make Aerated
Autoclaved Concrete (AAC) products more and more demanded worldwide. Masa provides all
machinery and equipment to produce those products.
AAC technology advantages and
the Middle East market
AAC has been produced for more than 70 years. Due to the fact
that it offers considerable advantages over other construction
materials, such as an excellent thermal efficiency, it gives a
high contribution to environmental protection to reduce
energy for heating and cooling. This is one of the reasons why
it also became one of the major building materials in “hot
countries” like the Middle East area.
AAC products include blocks, wall panels, floor and roof panels
as well as lintels. It is a lightweight building material which
provides structures, insolation and fire protection. The products
are used for internal and external construction and apply
as building material in commercial, industrial and private sectors.
The following main advantages can be listed:
AAC’s excellent thermal efficiency makes a major contribution
to environmental protection by sharply reducing the need for
heating and cooling in buildings. There is no need for additional
isolation of buildings. The thermal isolation is extremely high
compared to clay bricks or concrete blocks (0,08 – 0,27 W/(mK)).
AAC supports the builder on site to set up buildings faster and
easier, because of very accurate and light blocks. In using larger
formats, walls have less joints per m² of wall compared to concrete
block or clay walls. It is easy to cut blocks which minimizes
the solid waste during installation.
Even though regular cement mortar can be used, 98 % of the
buildings erected with AAC materials use thin bed mortar,
which comes to deployment in a thickness of ⅛ inch.
AAC material can be coated with a stucco compound or plaster
against the elements.
AAC’s high resource efficiency (1 m³ of raw materials gives
approximately 5 m³ of building products) gives it low environmental
impact in all phases of its life cycle, from processing of
raw materials to the disposal of AAC waste. This process related
waste material can be recycled back into the system.
AAC’s light weight also saves energy in transportation. The
fact that AAC is up to five times lighter than concrete leads to
significant reductions in CO 2 emissions during transportation.

Modern factory building made with AAC wall panels
Source: BV-Porenbeton/Info CD 05-2002
An AAC factory
built by Masa at Bena, Abu Dhabi
In addition, many AAC manufacturers apply the principle of
producing as near as possible to their consumer markets to
reduce the need for transportation.
Due to the low density and the resulting low weight, foundations
can be smaller or buildings can be higher with the
same size of foundation. Also the supporting structure of the
buildings can be slighter.
AAC is a “breathing material”, and therefore, the room climate
can be easily controlled which improves the standard of
living. A good sound insulation makes the material interesting
for multi-storey buildings where different parties live in.
Only natural ingredients are used, namely sand, lime, water,
and cement – ingredients are non-toxic.
Bena – German Emarati Company – was one of the first suppliers
of aerated concrete elements in the Middle East Area. The
facility is highly automated and therefore, able to produce
high quality products. Furthermore, Bena aims to offer complete
services and thus, supports its customers in becoming
familiar with aerated concrete building elements. The daily
capacity of the works is around 1,200 m³ of precast aerated
concrete blocks. Reinforced wall and floor slabs can also be
manufactured with the commissioned plant. The new product
was very important for Bena because it brought a significant
ecological, economic, and efficiency benefit to builders and to
Bena customers.
Energy Efficiency | AAC Building Materials
78 | 79

Process technology Vario Block
The Vario Block line uses silicate sand, lime, cement, aluminium
powder or paste, water and, if necessary, gypsum as raw materials
to produce aerated blocks. The binding components cement,
lime, and gypsum are stored outside the factory in silos close to
the mixing tower. The size is depending on the required quantity.
To have a consistent product quality the mixing process is
completely controlled via a fully automatic dosing and mixing
control. All process parameters (e. g. temperature, density of the
aggregates, or chemical features) can be adjusted.
The mixer including all necessary dosing and weighing
equipment is installed above the casting plant. All relevant
plant functions concerning raw materials as well as the product-specific
parameter are recorded and controlled in the central
control room. A large-scale flow chart allows an immediate
control for the operator. Signal lamps indicate the current data.
All product data, raw material situations, and recipe quantities
are recorded via the PC system with an attached printer. Interfaces
to a central data transfer system are available.
The raw materials – sand from the ball mill, return slurry,
fine lime, cement, gypsum, and recycled material together with
temperature-controlled water – are prepared for the casting
process in a special mixer. With the aluminium dispersion
added, the mixture is fed into the casting mould below through
specially arranged casting devices. Below the casting tower,
there is enough space for one casting moulds that can be filled.
All casting moulds are stored in a special casting area (gas
developing area). This area is designed (in size and volume) to
reach an optimum casting temperature.
After the gas-developing process of the block compound is
finished, the mould turning crane takes over the mould, turns
it by 90°, and positions it onto the beginning of the cutting line
Large wall elements for outside and inside walls
Source: BV-Porenbeton/Info CD 05-2002
with the side plate as carrier plate. The mould locking is opened
and the mould body is taken off the side plate and the block
compound. The empty mould body is transported to the side
plate return line and put together with an empty side plate to
form a complete casting mould again.
The block compound is transported vibration-free through
different cutting stations (horizontal and vertical cutting as
well as grip hole cutting) to form different sizes of aerated concrete
blocks. All cutting waste is returned into the process in an
economic way.
From the cutting stations the “green cake” is transported to
the loading/unloading station for the autoclaving process. For
a better utilization of the autoclaves, three blocks are put on a
hardening car side by side and brought to the waiting area in
front of the autoclaves. The complete hardening cycle for
block-production takes approximately 13 hours. The hardening
cycle for reinforcement production is calculated with 18 hours.
When the autoclaving process is completed, the blocks are
taken out, are separated and then transported to a packing
plant. In the packing plant the required cube sizes are created,
cubes are stacked, stretch wrapped and brought to a yard.
Reinforcement plant
As a special application AAC blocks can also be produced with
reinforcements. In this case large reinforcement elements are
manufactured.
The plant can be used for reinforcement blocks that only
have to bare the stresses during transport and assembly, or special
manufactured reinforcement panels to take higher static
loads in buildings (wall or roof). The calculation of the required
reinforcement is individually adapted to the actual use.
The reinforcements have to be protected against rust
because aerated concrete does not give sufficient rust protection
and the high porousness does not prevent the absorption
of humidity. The concept comprises a dip tank to apply the corrosion
protection to the reinforcement element.
In the following process, the reinforcements are mounted
on an adjustable frame system, so that they can be positioned
precisely in each mould. The positioning into the mould is
done after the filling of the mould with the slurry coming from
the mixing plant.
There is an increasing demand for AAC building materials
worldwide. Masa as one of the leading suppliers is supporting
many companies with equipment and technology for the production
of standard AAC blocks on the one side and on the
other side reinforced products. Reinforced products are used in
special applications with higher static loads.

The suspended “cradle” used for the ETICS installation
Meeting the Challenges
of Thermal Insulation at the SOFITEL Hotel,
Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai
Caparol LLC
Ahmed El Bayaa | Regional Sales Manager
When commissioning the building of the new Sofitel Hotel in Dubai, the Sofitel Luxury Hotels
Group was faced with building regulations requiring all new buildings to meet certain thermal
insulation standards in line with the drive to reduce carbon emissions and conserve energy. At the
same time the building had to meet the client’s and architect’s design vision and portray Sofitel’s
brand values. Pioneering building practices were introduced to meet new local regulations, and
the result was a successful ETICS installation that both met and set new standards.
Legislation was introduced in Dubai in 2006 that made the
inclusion of thermal insulation in new buildings mandatory.
Design and construction standards and practices in Dubai are
high profile so adopting international practices is an important
consideration for such legislation to be implemented. For
a city growing as fast as Dubai, reducing the demand for electricity
is a critical long term success factor. Since it is unlikely
there will be any reduction in demand, the construction of
additional new generation capacity becomes a necessity and
hence, the Dubai authorities have felt it necessary to introduce
the practice of mandatory thermal insulation to balance this
demand.
Introducing thermal insulation regulations in a desert climate
could seem incongruous, but it becomes obvious if one considers
the huge differences between outdoor and indoor temperatures.
Since air conditioning is standard for most modern
buildings and outdoor temperatures can go up to 50 °C in summer,
(the temperature differential can be up to 30 °C), there is
huge energy saving potential from thermally insulating the
building shell. This will then maintain the internal temperature
and stop air transfer through the building walls. Thermal
insulation is standard in countries with a cold European climate
and interestingly the energy saving potential provided
by thermal insulation in a hot climate is up to four times
higher than it is in a cold climate.
Energy Efficiency | Meeting the Challenges of Thermal Insulation
80 | 81

Optimising the building shell by installing an External Thermal
Insulation Composite System (ETICS) ensures the walls and
rooms are protected from heating up and therefore, the temperature
difference between indoor air and wall surfaces is
reduced. Temperature changes or direct sunlight on the outside
wall surface will have nearly no effect on the interior walls
of a properly insulated building and as well as the energy saving
potential, the comfort level for occupants is significantly
increased.
The consultant NORR, responsible for the Sofitel construction,
was looking for a thermal insulation solution that ensured
the most efficient thermal properties, yet at the same time
could be applied to the fabric of the existing planned structure.
One of the biggest challenges facing NORR was to install a system
that was not only able to fulfill the technical insulation
requirements, but also meet the demands of a high rise building
and the architectural design. NORR was also looking for a
system supplier that could bring a wealth of experience to the
installation, in-depth product knowledge and specification
expertise. It was also important that the supplier could offer
project management of the ETICS solution and provide experienced
installation teams on site.
Caparol was able to provide NORR with the confidence of its
ability to deliver on all accounts given its extensive proven
experience with ETICS both in Germany, Europe, and in projects
around the world. That confidence was supported by the quality
of both the Caparol design team and the technical advances
in the specified system. At the same time their international
experience was matched with local knowledge ensuring the
correct products and services were available when required,
enabling this demanding and ground-breaking ETICS project
to be progressed in the Middle East.
The Caparol ETICS installation integrates perfectly with the architectural
design of the building
The Sofitel Hotel at the Jumeirah Beach Residence provided its
own specific challenges which the team was able to meet, drawing
on the experience both of the experts based in Germany
and local knowledge in the provision of invaluable understanding
of the inherent conditions.
This was the largest commercial ETICS project to be undertaken
by Caparol in Dubai. Although they had the experience
of such installations under European conditions, the challenges
of this project required them to push the boundaries of
their knowledge and pioneer this type of project, which has
now become standard in the Middle East. The project also had
to meet the standards being applied by Dubai Central Laboratories’
(DCL).
This new knowledge and understanding resulted in product
modifications being made at a very early stage that has since
assisted the establishment of standards in Dubai.
A key difference between European and United Arab Emirates
(U.A.E) conditions is that a water vapour barrier is a more
critical requirement in the U.A.E. A number of modifications
were required before DCL standards could be achieved and the
system was ready to be approved and applied. Due to the close
cooperation of the team on site – the DCL teams and the
research and development laboratories at Caparol headquarters
in Germany – effective system modifications were implemented.
DCL was then able to confirm that their stringent
standards would be met with the proposed system.
Another technical development implemented for this
project was the improvement in the organic reinforcement
material, enabling quick and easy application under the hot
and humid U.A.E. weather conditions. This resulted in using a
reinforcing material that gives a more consistent, more flexible
system which avoids cracks and could ensure long-term durability
for this prestigious project.
An additional factor to take into account was the location of
the hotel on the beach front, which meant it is subject to
slightly higher coastal wind conditions. The expectation of
stronger winds at this location required careful consideration
as the higher wind strength significantly increases the load on
the mounted insulation boards.
Furthermore the hotel (at 143 m) was extremely high for an
ETICS application, with the height factor exacerbating the suction
that the wind creates on the mounted insulation panels.
The height of the building and the coastal location and
therefore the increased wind suction meant that the system
had to include an appropriate mechanical fixing in the specification.
The mechanical fixing specified meant that dowels were
fixed at 4 dowels.m –2 at ground level and at a much higher 16
dowels.m –2 at higher levels.

The height of the building tested the capabilities of the construction
team appointed to install the ETICS, not only in the
method of fixing the panels to the exterior of the building but
also by the fact that scaffolding could not be erected, due to the
building’s height. The ETICS application therefore, was completed
using suspended “cradles” only.
Another important factor in the successful completion of
the project was the thorough integration of the experienced
German teams in providing input both in terms of product
modifications to meet local considerations as well as their practical
assistance on application. Training was organised for the
installation team of Emirates Coats and the local Caparol Technical
team at Caparol’s head office in Ober-Ramstadt in Germany
to ensure a better understanding of the practical issues
that might arise on such a challenging project .
Work commenced in 2006 and was completed in January
2009.
The final DCL-approved system:
Due to the height of the building, the ETICS application was completed
using suspended “cradles”.
– Standard Adhesive
– EPS insulation panels of 6 cm with reinforced fixing with
dowels at between 4 – 16 dowels.m –2
– Reinforcement with a standard mesh and an organic reinforcing
material certified by DCL to pass water vapour barrier
standards
– Finished with trowel applied Caparol StructurePutz, a material
that satisfied the aesthetics of the overall design but
also provided durability and impact resistance.
And the beauty of ETICS as a thermal insulation solution is that
it is ideally suited to retrofit too. As efficient as it is for thermally
insulating new work, it is also the most cost efficient and
most versatile method to retrofit existing buildings to meet
the current standards for energy saving. So whether it is new
work or refurbishment, ETICS helps buildings to become more
energy efficient.
The Sofitel Hotel project has clearly shown how ETICS can be
specified for a prestigious project requiring a sophisticated
architectural finish without compromising the original design
brief. The system has ensured not only an outstanding and
striking building facade but a durable and sustainable solution
too.
In combining technology and architectural design, ETICS
offers an integrated product solution providing the right finish
and look for any project, ensuring both an attractive and
energy saving building which fulfills the designers and occupiers
needs and expectations.
Saving energy and enhancing customer comfort
with a unique ETICS installation at the 143 m high Sofitel Hotel
at the Jumeirah Beach Residence in Dubai.
Energy Efficiency | Meeting the Challenges of Thermal Insulation
82 | 83

Energy Efficiency and
Climate Change Mitigation:
Triple Win for the
Water Authority of Jordan
Water Pumping Station (Picture courtesy of WILO SE)
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Dieter Rothenberger | Head of IEE Programme
Project background and approach
The Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ) is the largest electricity consumer in the country,
using about 15 % of Jordan’s entire electricity production. In addition to high costs, this leads to
high emissions of greenhouse gases, since Jordan’s power supply is almost exclusively
based on fossil fuels. The hydraulic conditions imply that the fresh water needs to be lifted
1,400 m from the Jordan Valley to reach the consumers in the cities. Under these circumstances,
one of the main causes for the high levels of electricity consumption is the huge technical
inefficiency in the operation of the water pumps, which includes inappropriately sized and
operated pumps and deficiencies in O & M processes.
In 2008, the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature
Protection and Nuclear Safety (BMU) started the International
Climate Initiative (ICI) to support approaches aiming to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. The project “Improvement of
Ener gy Efficiency of WAJ in the Middle Governorates” (IEE) was
the first project worldwide approved by BMU within the ICI and
is being implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale
Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The project was originally
planned for 2.5 years, but has been extended by another 2 years
for a country-wide roll-out.
The IEE is structured in two parts: In part 1, an energy audit was
conducted for the major consumers of electricity of WAJ in the
three governorates of Balqa, Madaba, and Zarqa. This energy
audit consisted of pump performance measurement, and electro-mechanical
investigations. To this end, water flow, pressure
and electricity consumption was measured, as was the system’s
performance. Based on the derived factual efficiency, the
energy saving potential was calculated, assuming the use of
improved technology and better operations, and the required
investments were estimated.

Based on the audit, technical measures to reduce the consumption
were developed. In addition, institutional concepts and
respective contracts were drafted in order to support the sustainable
implementation of the measures, e. g. via direct procurement
with maintenance contracts, Micro BOT, or energy
contracting models – all models involve the private sector to a
certain extent.
During the current part 2 of the IEE project, the measures
and methods derived in part 1 are implemented. The focus is to
use private sector operational expertise and private finance as
far as possible, e. g. for rehabilitating and operating pumping
stations to achieve sustainable improvements. This means that
beside direct procurement and improved operation of pumps,
the investments in and the operation of pumping stations
might be outsourced by WAJ to the private sector for some
years. In addition, investments for some stations are foreseen
from within the IEE.
Energy audit results
Electricity accounts for 25 – 35 % of WAJ’s operational costs,
which results in almost JOD 70 millions annual electricity costs
and thereby shows the financial implications of efficiency
improvements.
Table 1: Results of the energy audit
Pumping station Saving potential Payback period Reduction of CO 2
in % in JOD/a in years in t/a
Zarqa
Desalination Plant
65 18,000 10 298
Hallabat 19 32,000 11 539
Azraq 18 152,000 13 2,344
Khaw (old station) 38 302,000 4 5,103
Yazedieh 17 40,000 22 684
Azraq Spring 27 18,000 9 306
Share’a 35 103,000 8 1,747
Naqab Al Daboor 10 10,000 2 168
Madaba 95 178,000 23 3,007
Wala 4 22,000 6 379
Lib 13 70,000 2 1,172
Grand Totals 935,000 15,579
The energy audits revealed an estimated electricity saving
potential of approx. 25 % of the electricity consumed in the
analysed pumping stations. Main reasons for the low efficiency
were the use of wrongly designed and low-cost equipment,
mainly since cost optimisation was focusing on lowest procurement
costs instead of lowest life-cycle costs (LCC). An LCC
approach for pumping equipment would favour procurement
of higher quality equipment, since over the whole life cycle,
operation (including electricity), maintenance and repair costs
account for more than 90 % of the total costs, while procurement
cost is only approx. 10 %.
Due to the limited water resources available in Jordan, the
operations’ focus is to maximize the water pumped, not to get
the lowest cost for pumping. Because of a lack of automation
and regular maintenance, this results in too high electricity
consumption and hence, operational costs and frequent pump
changes. Finally, in the whole process starting from pump
design/selection to operations, maintenance and repair, a large
number of divisions and actors are involved, which is hampering
the overall optimisation process.
The energy audit of the IEE project identified a cost reduction
potential for WAJ by almost JOD 1 million per year, and a
CO 2 emission reduction by 16,000 tons. Table 1 shows the
results for the selected pumping stations.
The saving potential could partially be reaped by installing
new, more efficient pumps and equipment. But in order to have
a sustainable improvement, as mentioned above, a focus on
LCC for the procurement as well as a change in the organisational
processes is required. GIZ promotes a comprehensive
optimisation process, which is introduced to support WAJ in
the full cycle of pumping station operations within so-called
“Energy Service Performance Contracting” (ESPC) models. ESPC
stands for a contract between an Energy Service Company
(ESCo) and WAJ aiming at the reduction of energy costs for
water pumping. The ESCo provides the funding for the repair
and replacement of the pumping equipment, designs and
installs the equipment, and takes over operation, maintenance
and repair processes for a defined period (see also figure 1). The
remuneration of the ESCo for its services depends on the reduction
of specific energy consumption (kWh/m3 pumped) during
the contract period, as the cost savings are shared between WAJ
and the ESCo, which creates strong incentives for the ESCo to
deliver the predicted energy savings.
The pilot project –
a cooperation between GIZ, WILO, and WAJ
The implementation of the measures via ESPCs increases the
energy efficiency and reduces operating costs with no up-front
cost and limited risk for the facility owner. ESPC is known
widely in Europe, less so in the Middle East and even less in the
Middle East water sector. Since pumping stations are a key element
in Jordan’s technical water supply infrastructure and
vital for the provision of reliable services, there are obviously
also psychological and other barriers to overcome, and there
are decision-makers to convince.
Energy Efficiency | Climate Change Mitigation
84 | 85

Water Pump (Picture courtesy of WILO SE)
Therefore, it was important to establish a test case to demonstrate
how an energy contracting model for a pumping station
in Jordan could be implemented. It was expected that such a
test case should minimize the risk for WAJ and the private sector,
hence, this pilot project is a Public Private Partnership
approach jointly financed by GIZ and a German pump producer,
WILO (as the ESCo). In order to achieve the targeted performance
improvements, the ESCo has been given the authority
and responsibility to implement the necessary changes.
Under the agreement WILO is required to develop an energy
saving concept considering all aspects of importance from
technology to pumping station operations including specifications
for the required pumps and other equipment like automation
devices for remote control, training for the seconded
staff. This pilot project is running since November 2009 in a
pumping station which was not part of the audit, since the data
was already available. The installation of the new, highly efficient
WILO pumps took place in March 2010, and the results of
the improved technology linked with better operations are
impressive: Taking into consideration the additional water
pumped with the more efficient and effective new pumps, the
annual savings equal approx. JOD 110,000. CO 2 emissions have
been reduced by 1,400 t/a.
Design,
Planning
Installation
Figure 1
Concept of an ESPC contract
Project Identification,
Legal Framework
ESPC
Energy Saving
Measures
Operation and
Maintenance
Financing
Contolling

Ceremony for project hand-over (Picture courtesy of WILO SE)
Conclusion
Based on these very encouraging results, WAJ is highly interested
to repeat the success story of the pilot project with a
proper ESPC, and hence, is currently floating a tender for an
ESPC for the Khaw pumping station. As table 1 shows, this
pumping station has a considerable saving potential both in
terms of WAJ energy costs as well as CO 2 emissions.
For other pumping stations, the required investments are
relatively high compared with the potential savings, so that
fully private investment would mean a very high risk exposure
with long-pay-back periods. Therefore, some investments are
done from within the IEE project budget. For the pumping station
at the Zarqa Desalination Plant, the installation of new
pumps and the introduction of automation resulted in a reduction
in energy consumption of more than 60 %, equalling
annual savings of approx. JOD 17,000 and a CO 2 emission reduction
of approx. 300 t/a.
In addition, the IEE project has developed the institutional
concepts and creates a flexible, incentives-based ESPC-framework
for the implementation of ESPC projects in Jordan, with
classic ESPCs, contracting concepts focusing mainly on operation
services, or practically fully ODA financed measures in
pumping stations with a private sector service element improving
mainly the sustainability of the ODA investment.
The IEE project combines demand-side energy improvements
with an institutional innovation in the Jordanian water sector.
The implementation of measures is based on the ESPC model,
by which a triple win situation is created: firstly cost savings to
be shared between WAJ and the private sector, secondly the
availability of new infrastructure at no cost for WAJ, and thirdly
a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
The results from the implementation of measures at a pilot
pumping station confirm an increase in average energy efficiency
of more than 35 %, which translates into a cost recovery
improvement of approx. JOD 110.000 per year, very low maintenance
efforts for the enhanced equipment, and an overall
reduction of pumping station downtime.
Improved cost recovery through energy efficiency is a key
issue for the WAJ. ESPC is seen as a promising way since there
are no up-front cost and limited risks for WAJ. Within the innovative
IEE project, the feasibility to combine private investments
and operations has been proven.
The IEE project is one cornerstone for the process of the Jordanian
economy to become more energy efficient and reduce
the burden on the already over-stretched electricity production
sector. This project, which has a beacon effect far beyond
Jordan, shows that taking care for the environment can also
have economic advantages – and is an example for a sustainable
solution the German Government supports in all its cooperation
activities with Jordan.
Energy Efficiency | Climate Change Mitigation
86 | 87

Water,
Desalination and Irrigation
Because of their arid climate, Arab states and in particular the Arab Gulf states
are in need for powerful water desalination plants that increase the energy
demand in these countries significantly. The production of fresh water and the
recycling of waste water require strong distribution and transmission networks.
These have to keep pace with increasing demand caused by growing
populations and extending cities. New technologies such as solar desalination
are economically and ecologically promising. Projects of reference that include
the participation of Arab and German companies or institutions have been
planned or implemented in most Arab countries. With the demographic growth
and industrial diversifications in Arab countries, the demand for desalinated
water and the necessity to recycle waste water will further increase.
The Arab-German cooperation in this field ranges from dam extensions in
Sudan to solar desalination and projects in Jordan and Egypt.
Water, Desalination and Irrigation
88 | 89

Naga Hammadi Barrage
The Naga Hammadi Barrage on the River Nile
Lahmeyer International
Werner Bürkler | Chief Resident Engineer and Project Manager
for Construction Supervision, Bernd-R. Hein | Senior Geotechnical and
Dam Expert, Bernd Metzger | Business Development Director
Between June 2002 and May 2008, a new barrage across the river Nile was constructed,
135 km north of Luxor, Egypt. The 336 m long structure includes a sluiceway with seven weir bays,
two navigation locks, a power plant, and a bridge over the barrage. The complete diversion
of the Nile river, the construction pit in the river bed as well as the structures themselves required
large-scale and adopted technical solutions. Before and during the construction period the
project was followed by an extensive environmental and social action programme.
An important project
for the population and environment
The clients for the project were the Ministry of Water Resources
and Irrigation and the Ministry of Electricity and Energy of the
Arab Republic of Egypt. The funding of the project was secured
by credits of Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), the European
Investment Bank (EIB), and through the national budget
of Egypt.
The consultant was a consortium of international consultancy
companies under the leadership of Lahmeyer International,
Germany. The consultant elaborated the feasibility
study, the tender design, assisted in the award of the contracts
(five lots) and performed site supervision services.
The two years post-commissioning period of the project
started in June 2008 and came to an end by May 2010. The following
report demonstrates the development process of this
project, which took more than 10 years and concludes one year
after the post-commissioning period.
The Naga Hammadi Barrage (NHB), referred to in the report as
the “Barrage”, was constructed on the river Nile from 1927 – 1930.
It is located some 12 km north of the town of Naga Hammadi.
The location of the Barrage, generally expressed as a river distance
in kilometres downstream from the Aswan Dam, is at km
359.50.
The Barrage is one of three structures on the river Nile in
Upper Egypt (excluding the Aswan and High Aswan Dams),
which control the water levels for some distance upstream. The
others include Esna Barrage located to the south at km 166.65
and Assiut Barrage to the north at km 544.75. The river reaches
between Esna and Naga Hammadi and Assiut Barrages are
192.85 km and 185.25 km, respectively.
The primary purpose of the Naga Hammadi Barrage, as also
for the other two barrages, was to expand the cultivated area in
Upper Egypt by raising the water levels to enable irrigation all

Naga Hammadi Barrage
Naga Hammadi Site
year around rather than only during periods of flood. For this
purpose, head regulators for the main two irrigation canals,
Naga Hammadi El-Sharkia on the east side and Naga Hammadi
El-Gharbia on the west side of the river, were constructed in
1930, at approximately the same time as the Barrage. In addition,
the increased water levels are useful in relation to navigation
requirements. To a lesser extent, domestic and industrial
water supplies also benefit.
The High Aswan Dam (HAD) was constructed in the late
1960’s to regulate the flow of the river Nile in Egypt. Prior to its
constructions, the country was subjected not only to large seasonal
variations in river discharges (the flood months being
August to October), but also to sequences of years with belowaverage
flow. Since the implementation of the High Aswan
Dam with its active storage capacity of 90 × 109 m³ and flood
retention storage of 41 × 109 m³, the river Nile discharges have
been fully regulated.
Maximum discharges at Naga Hammadi during the peak
irrigation period from June to August are now around 2,400
m³/s and reduce to less than 700 m³/s during the winter closure
period of the irrigation systems for a three to four week
period from mid-December to mid-January. Far lower minimums
of 350 m³/s actually occur within this period for a
number of days. After 1968, floods as previously known have
not been experienced anymore. Hence, the characteristics of
operation of the Naga Hammadi Barrage have substantially
changed and the full capacity of the 100 vents for release of
floods (maximum capacity of about 14,000 m³/s) is no longer
required.
The reduction of floods by HAD has resulted in the stabilizing
of the river course laterally and in a reduction in the width
of the riverbed. However, a process of dynamic change has
been observed to varying degrees along the river course associated
with riverbed degradation.
The Nile valley north of Aswan follows generally a northerly to
north-westerly direction. Between Luxor and Naga Hammadi,
the river however bends substantially before again continuing
in the original direction. This is considered to reflect the influence
of major faults and geologic structural controls in the
region (MOPWWR, 1992). This is particularly the case for the
westward-trending reach of the river, which also parallels the
trend of tributaries in Wadi Qena (directly north of Qena). The
slope of the valley floor between Aswan to a point midway
between Naga Hammadi and Assiut is of the order of 0.075 m/
km.
The floodplains adjacent to the river are utilized almost
entirely for agricultural production based on irrigation. Precipitation
is negligible (average less than 1 mm annually), resulting
in no runoff from surrounding areas apart from the very
occasional occurrence of localised floods from intense but
extremely short rainfalls.
The reach between Naga Hammadi and Esna Barrage lies
within the Governorate of Qena. At the Barrage, the west bank
and Dom Island are within the Governorate of Qena, while the
east bank is within Sohag. In the vicinity and upstream of the
NHB a number of population and industrial centres exist in
addition to numerous local villages. Many rely on the supplies
villages located some distance from the river.
The regional population is in the vicinity of 2.5 million and,
based on the average annual growth rate observed in Egypt, is
increasing at around 2.3 % per annum. The economic livelihood
of the majority of the population is based on agricultural production,
although tourism and several large industrial factories
also play a role in the local economy. Upstream of the Barrage,
a number of large towns have been established. These
include Naga Hammadi, Deshna, Qena and Luxor, located
respectively at distances of 12, 42, 73 and 136 km.
Water, Desalination and Irrigation | The Naga Hammadi Barrage
90 | 91

Apart from providing services for the local agricultural economy,
these and other smaller towns have also seen the establishment
of relatively large industries, including the Aluminium
City complex near Naga Hammadi and the sugar factories
at Naga Hammadi, Deshna and Kous. The city of Luxor has
developed as the major tourist centre in Upper Egypt.
Lahmeyer International
supports the project since 1993
The steps which led to the present project may be summarised
in their historical order as follows:
In 1993 a consortium of consulting companies under the
leadership of Lahmeyer International commenced work under
the feasibility study contract, initially with conceptual and
interim studies to focus the final feasibility study.
The conceptual study, completed in September 1993, identified
different options and layouts for the multi-purpose development
of the barrage, with and without hydropower. The
main competing options at the end of that study were rehabilitation
and upgrading of the existing barrage versus construction
of a new barrage with hydropower downstream. Having
established these main options, an interim study was carried
out to provide field-based information necessary to finalise the
scope of the feasibility study, specifically by identifying the
least-cost layout with hydropower.
The interim study was completed in June 1994, and was able
to narrow consideration of the downstream options to a single
layout. The study also found that rehabilitation of the existing
barrage remained a technical option, but not with hydropower
due to the cost and risk of retro-fitting a power station to the
existing structure. The interim study included, for the first
time, formal examination of environmental issues through
the mechanism of an initial environmental examination.
The issue of the construction risks for the Barrage should be
mentioned, as in 1929 the high level construction pit of the old
Barrage was flooded and the construction process interrupted.
With the new and much safer design of the Barrage and a
hydropower plant, a construction pit down to 25 m below
present river levels is needed. This is only possible by the now
available modern construction techniques. The only location
identified for safe Barrage construction by the soil investigations
was 3.2 km downstream in the river bend around Dom
Island. This was confirmed by soil investigations done in 1995.
The feasibility study was carried out in two stages, 1995 –
1996 and 1996 – 1997, and included a full environmental impact
assessment (EIA). The first stage studied the options of new
construction downstream with and without hydropower versus
rehabilitation of the old barrage (the ‘base case’ for cost
comparison purposes), and assumed a fixed headpond level of
66.8 m at the new barrage. Concern about the impacts of this
headpond level on groundwater, soil and housing conditions
upstream led to a downward revision of the normal operating
level of the proposed new barrage to 65.9 m, the same as the
original maximum level at the old barrage. The feasibility
study was revised to reflect this adjustment and the final version
completed in February 1997.
In 1999 the same consulting consortium as mentioned
above received the contract for the tender design and tender
documents, construction drawings, site supervision and support
to the employer’s environmental group. The project was
implemented as follows:
1999: Preparation of tender design and tender documentation,
prequalification
2000: Tendering and contracting of works
Beginning of 2001: Start of construction design
June 2002: Start of construction
May 2008: Start of commissioning
June 2008 to May 2010: Post commissioning period
Success for the benefit of all parties
The Naga Hammadi Dam, as can be seen from the above, is a
vital project for a country which has more than 80 % of its territory
in desert zones. Roughly one year after the post-commissioning
period, the project is considered a huge success by all
involved parties and stakeholders, because:
– the technical concept of the project proves to work very well
after its implementation,
− the environmental and social implications of the project
have been taken into consideration during the construction,
for the benefit of all stakeholders,
− the envisaged construction schedule and the real construction
period have been close to be identical,
− the same applies to the estimated budget of the project and
the real expenses.
Encouraged by this success, the same stakeholders, ministries
and funding agencies have agreed to build the Assiut Dam over
the river Nile some hundred kilometres downstream of the
Naga Hammadi Dam. As of today, the Assiut Project is in the
tendering stage for contractors and suppliers.
After a tender process the client decided to make use of the
experience gained during the successful implementation of
the Naga Hammadi Dam and has awarded the consultancy
services to Lahmeyer International as the lead company of a
joint venture.Na ad diam et vel estisl ut nulla core velenit nulla
feuisim velessim etuerae sequisl utpate eum zzrit dit alit il ut

Algerian Desalination Market Update
ILF Beratende Ingenieure GmbH
Thomas Altmann | Executive Vice President, Energy & Desalination
By the year 2011, 13 seawater desalination projects with a total capacity of 2.26 million m 3 /d will be
developed in Algeria, contributing to what is probably one of the largest growths in national
capacity in recent years. After the planned completion of the desalination programme by 2012,
the newly installed seawater desalination facilities will contribute about 70 l per capita per day
to the drinking water supply of the densely populated coastal strip along the Mediterranean,
where more than 90 % of Algeria’s population lives.
Market situation
The Algerian seawater desalination programme is part of an
ambitious presidential programme of water resource development.
For drinking water supply, this programme comprises 22
new dams by 2009, several huge water transfer systems with
lengths up to 740 km, installation, as well as upgrading and
repair of drinking-water supply systems of huge municipalities.
For wastewater treatment, the programme comprises:
– construction of 40 new wastewater treatment plants
– upgrading and repair of 20 existing wastewater treatment
plants
– construction of 50 wastewater lagoons
– important investments in wastewater collection systems
During its expansion into the Algerian market, ILF Consulting
Engineers has been involved in seven of the projects as lender’s
engineer and independent expert, accounting for more than
60 % of the country’s planned seawater reverse osmosis (RO)
capacity.
The major projects developed in Algeria are summarised in the
table “Desalination projects in Algeria”, which shows the location,
main shareholders of the project companies and desalination
capacity of the projects. These are built along the Mediterranean
coast with the majority of plants located west of
Algiers in areas both subject to a rapid expansion and lack of
fresh water. The Algerian desalination programme benefits
from international project finance with a strong involvement
of national investors and lenders. In 2001, Sonatrach and Sonelgaz,
the two largest public companies in the Algerian energy
sector, created the 50 : 50 % joint venture company Algerian
Energy Company (AEC).
AEC’s core objectives is to develop seawater desalination
plants in partnership with international investors, where the
two parties set up a project company responsible to design,
build, operate, and own the water produced. In all but the early
projects, AEC has taken a 49 % share in the project company,
Water, Desalination and Irrigation | Algerian Desalination Market Update
92 | 93

ILF Projects
while the international investor took 51%. With a new addendum
to the financial law in place, it is likely that AEC will take
shares of more than 50 % in those projects which have not yet
seen financial close.
Most developers have a 20 % equity participation in the
project company. Loans are provided by national banks such as
Banque Extèrieure d’Algérie (BEA), Banque Nationale d’Algérie
(BNA) and Credit Populaire d’Algérie (CPA). For future projects,
loans will be provided by a newly created National Investment
Fund, financed mainly by resources made available by the
treasury or borrowed on the national capital market.
Electricity Provider
Sonatrach
Water Authority ADE
AEC
WPA
ILA
EPC
(Supply Contractor)
Lender
FIN
Project Company
[51 % Investor
+ 49 % AEC]
EPC
Civil + Installation
EPC (Constr.)
+ O & M Contractor
Lender’s Engineer
Owner’s Engineer
O&M
Electricity
With assignments as lender’s engineer and independent expert,
ILF is involved in 58 % of the desalination capacity in Algeria
with a total capacity of 1.32 million m 3 /d. In these assignments,
ILF advises three major Algerian banks (BEA, BNA, CPA).
For all projects where ILF is/has been involved, the table “ILF
Desalination projects in Algeria” summarises the main technical
features. The main treatment stages of all the plants
reported in this table are:
– seawater intake
– pretreatment
– SWRO
– posttreatment and delivery
All Algerian desalination projects are SWRO plants, which
means that a well designed seawater pretreatment system is
the key pre-requisite for satisfactory performance in terms of
membrane life and economical operation.
The table below shows that there is a wide variety of technical
solutions applied to the plant with both conventional and
UF pretreatment. The recovery ratio tends to be relatively high
compared to projects in other countries, which is justified by
the relatively good seawater conditions.
From an economic point of view, compared to the private
market benchmark occurring in the Middle East (US $ 1,320 to
1,760/[m 3 /d]) between 2007 and 2011, it can be seen in the table
“ILF Desalination projects in Algeria” that projects in North
Africa involve low specific capex; this is due to both a very competitive
tendering process and favorable water conditions.
Main Subsuppliers EPC
Project Structure
A peculiarity of the Algerian desalination projects is the fact
that all of them have at least one of the international shareholders
of the project company involved in the construction
(EPC turn-key contract) and operation (O & M contract) of the
plant. Obviously, the conflict of interest thus created has been
accepted.
The comparison between the plants specific cost in the Middle
East and in Algeria is shown in the figure “Capital cost for the
Algerian plants”. Among all the projects, Magtaa (500.000
m 3 /d) is certainly on e of the most important desalination
projects worldwide.
The project was awarded on a very challenging Capex value,
and it is presently under construction.
ILF Desalination projects in Algeria
SWRO Project Lender Time frame
Investment
(Mio US $)
Specific capex
(US $/m 3 /d)
Plant capacity
(m 3 /d)
SWRO
pretreatment
SWRO flux
(Lmh)
SWRO recovery
(%)
Cap Djinet BNA 2008 – 2010 100 – 150 1525 1000,000 conv 13.2 45
Fouka CPS 2008 – 2010 200 – 250 1797 120,000 conv 13.5 45
Mostaganem BEA 2008 – 2010 200 – 250 1276 200,000 conv 13.2 45
Magtaa BNA 2008 – 2011 400 – 500 882 500,000 UF 14.1 45
Skida BNA 2008 100 – 150 1179 100,000 conv 13.2 47
Souk Tlata BNA 2007 – 2010 200 – 250 1276 200,000 UF 12,8 45
Tenes CPA 2008 – 2010 200 – 250 1325 200,000 conv 12.1 45

Conclusion
Algerian Projects
Project Company
Capacity
(m 3 /d)
1 Ben Saf Cobra, AEC 200,000
2 Cap Djinet Inima/Aqualia, AEC 100,000
3 El Tarf Inima/Aqualia, AEC 50,000
4 Fourka Snc Lavalin/Acciona, AEC 120,000
5 Hamma GE Water, AEC 200,000
6 Honaine Befesa/Sadyt, AEC 200,000
7 Arzew Black & Veatch, AEC 90,000
8 Magtaa Hyflux, AEC 500,000
9 Mostaganem Inima/Aqualia, AEC 200,000
10 Qued Sebt Biwater, AEC 100,000
11 Skikda Befesa/Sadyt, AEC 100,000
12 Souk Tlata Hyflux/Malakoff, AEC 200,000
13 Tenes Befesa/Sadyt, AEC 200,000
Total Capacity 2,260,000
Algeria is a relatively new market that has seen very fast development
in the last few years. In Algerian desalination plants
the technical solutions are different because the optimal process
condition has been reached as a result of differing needs. As
investment costs, operation costs and, consequently, tariffs are
low, the country represents very good conditions for the development
of seawater desalination plants.
US $/
(m 3 /d)
2500
2000
1500
500
0
RO Capex
Gulf Arabian Sea Algeria Red Sea
Desalination projects in Algeria
Capital cost for the Algerian plants
Water, Desalination and Irrigation | Algerian Desalination Market Update
94 | 95

Special Topics

Market Development
and Business Opportunities in the
Power Sector of Saudi Arabia
Saleh Hussein Alawaji, Ph. D. | Deputy Minister for Electricity,
Ministry of Water and Electricity,Chairman of the Board,
Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia experiences a rapid development in social, industrial, economical and infrastructure
projects as well as concerning a growing population. Today, Saudi Arabian factories are not only
producing for the local market but also for the international market with some of the largest
petrochemical plants in the country.
Saudi Arabia has a very young population. Every year more
than half a million new citizens who need jobs and accommodation
in the future have to be welcomed. Traditionally, even
young couples require an individual home which should be
affordable. More or less all domains of the public infrastructure
including the education system are growing fast and will
offer a lot of opportunities. These factors make the demand for
electricity growing at high rate.
In the last decade the demand of electricity has increased
with an annual average rate of 8 %. The installed capacity has
already reached 53 GW (43 GW from SEC power plants, 10 GW
from other producers), and the peak load reached 47.3 GW. To
meet the growing demand, 3 – 4 GW of installed capacity have
to be added each year. At the same time aggressive measures
have to be implemented to control the increasing demand.
As one of the largest producers of fossil energy, Saudi Arabia
has a solid financial background. The required investments for
the power projects are estimated to reach 400 billion Saudi
Riyals (about 75 billion Euros) for the next decade which will
overstress the possibilities of the power sector’s budget. The
contribution from the private sector (local, institutional and
foreign investors) is expected to reach 30 – 40 % of the required
investment volume. For the time being liquid fuel and natural
gas are the only energy sources for power generation. Increasing
demand for fuel supply is one of the drives for the government
to investigate all the possible options to diversify the fuel
mix for the power sector and water desalination, such as
nuclear and renewable energy sources.
The power sector of Saudi Arabia needs capable and reliable
partners for executing, operating and maintaining these challenging
projects. Additionally, there are many opportunities
for a joint cooperation in the associated research and development,
as well as in an industrial and technical aspects related
to the power sector. The sector is well prepared to consider and
support all kinds of cooperation options, and is open for all
kinds of proposals from the German side.
In the following, brief background information and a glance
of the business opportunities in the power sector of Saudi Arabia,
as well as information about the power market development
in the region will be given.
Special Topics | Market Development and Business Opportunities
96 | 97

Development of the Electricity Sector (2000 – 2011):
Within the last eleven years, the demand of peak load has
increased from 22 to 47.3 GW. In the last ten years, the demand
for electricity grew by an annual average of 8 %, while in specific
areas and seasons the demand was even ramping up to
30%. In the same period, the length of transmission lines
increased from 30.000 km to 48.300 km to serve about 6.2
million customers. Table (1) demonstrates the development in
the Saudi Arabia power sector for the period 2000 – 2011.
Data
No. of
Customers
(Million)
Peak load
(MW)
Available
Transmission
Generation
(km-circular)
(MW)
Energy
(GWh)
2000 3.6 21.700 23.800 30.000 114.000
2011 6.0 47.300 53.000 48.300 237.000*
Increase 2.4 25.600 29.200 18.300 123.000*
Growth (%) 67 118 123 61 108*
Table 1: Development of the Saudi power sector 2000 – 2011. (* 2010)
Forecast of electricity demand till 2020
The installed capacity of the power plants in the kingdom has
reached 53 GW in 2011, and is predicted to approach 80 GW in
2020 (as demonstrated in figure 1). At the same time the transmission
and distribution network has to be reinforced.
20,710
22,634
23,118
25,831
26,581
28,693
30,680
32,672
35,545
38,620
42,590
46,110
49,670
53,830
57,350
61,500
64,720
67,990
71,220
74,340
77,430
90,000
80,000
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000 ← D = 1.597 → ← D = 2.779 → ← D = 3.782 → ← D = 3.186 →
0 6.7 % 8.2 % 7.6 % 4,7 %
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Figure 1: Actual and forecasted demand (MW)
– Low reserve capacity during a very short period at the
summer peak load.
– Fuel supply and fuel mix.
– Energy efficiency related issues.
– Public awareness and education about rational energy use.
– Power market development.
Investment opportunities for the private sector
With the policy of the government of Saudi Arabia to open its
market for the private sector investment (local and foreign),
the power market becomes one of the most attractive sectors.
Feasibility studies have shown a tremendous potential in electricity
projects as well as industries and services related to the
sector.
With the expected continuing rapid growth of the industry
for the next 20 years, the private sector investment is proven
to be very attractive. International companies specialising in
electric power are being attracted to Saudi Arabia, which they
see as one of the most promising and developing electricity
markets in the region.
Vision for the development of the power market
In order to improve the overall efficiency of its power sector as
well as to diversify the national income, Saudi Arabia is very
keen to develop a sub-regional, regional and international
power market. At the sub-regional level, Saudi Arabia is the
major investor in the GCC grid of more than 800 km, which is
already in operation since 2009, linking the power systems of
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
At the regional level, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have jointly
completed an assessment for connecting the power systems of
both countries, which proved the feasibility for investing in a
grid of 1,300 km (D.C.) with a maximum capacity of 3 GW. When
this link becomes reality, it will connect the GCC networks with
other Arab countries’ networks forming a significant power
market. In the meantime, the World Bank is carrying out a feasibility
study to connect the network of Saudi Arabia to the
European network, targeting, at the long run, trading electricity
with European market.
Conclusion
Challenges facing the Saudi Power sector
Saudi Arabia’s power sector, which is experiencing rapid
develop ments, faces a number of major challenges such as:
– High increase in demand.
– Huge capital investment.
– Wide variation in the peak load between summer
and other seasons.
The rapid developing power sector in Saudi Arabia creates great
business opportunities for local and foreign investors. The sector
is interested in, and well prepared to build a long-term partnership
with capable, qualified and reliable partners in order
to cooperate for tackling the major challenges facing the sector.
The German business community and industry are among the
best candidates for this partnership.

Renewable Energy Finance –
Bringing the Private Sector in
Amereller Legal Consultants
Dr. Kilian Bälz | Attorney
The future of renewable energies in the MENA region depends on attracting private sector
investment. In the past, most projects in the region were either funded by the government or
through international development cooperation. Now, projects are moving into a new phase.
Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco have tendered renewable energy projects that are based on
the BOO model. The private investor will build and operate a wind or solar farm and in return will
be granted a power purchase agreement under which it can feed electricity into the grid
for a guaranteed price.
Financing renewable energy projects in the MENA region can
be challenging. Intense sun radiation and constant winds can
be taxing on the equipment, and technology is not proven
under the prevailing climate conditions. Moreover, any investment
in renewable energies is based on long-term considerations,
having a horizon of usually 15 to 25 years. This is much
longer than an investment in MENA real estate where investors
often expect to break even after three to five years. Last but not
least, since 2011 the political landscape in many MENA countries
is in flux. Whereas the transformation of Egypt and Tunisia
ultimately has the potential to substantially improve the
investment climate, during the transitional period investors
are exposed to additional political risk.
The following shall give a brief overview of the key legal risks
relating to private financed renewable energy projects. It will
highlight the challenges for sponsors and financing institutions
and will provide some initial guidance on how these
issues can be addressed.
Special Topics | Renewable Energy Finance
98 | 99

What private investors expect
No project is like the other. But the investors’ expectations are
more or less the same, across the globe – and all of them are
somehow related to the legal framework.
– The project must guarantee a secure cash flow. This is the
most important requirement, as the cash flow will be used
to service the project’s debts and the promised return on
investment. Where no feed-in laws exist – as in most countries
in the MENA region – the power purchase agreement
will be the financial backbone of the project. Here, it will be
crucial to ascertain that the agreement cannot be terminated
prematurely, and if so, only for full and effective compensation.
Rules on “administrative contracts” can permit
government entities to terminate contracts for convenience
– a point that should be carefully considered.
– In many projects, the revenues are backed by a government
guarantee. Here, it is crucial to ascertain that the respective
governmental authority – usually the Ministry of Finance –
will have complied with the required internal procedures
and waived any defenses relating to sovereign immunity.
Otherwise the guarantee may not be enforceable.
– The project must be able to use the project site during the
life cycle of the project. Here, the project company usually
enters into a long term lease agreement that also should be
secured through the registration of a real right of use
(manfa’a). Projects often are located in remote desert areas.
The lack of developed land registers, or slow allocation proceedings
can pose significant challenges. Disputes over land
can substantially impede the operation of a project.
– Usually, a bundle of service and maintenance agreements is
entered into in relation to a project. These agreements are
governed by local law. Here, special attention must be given
to statutory termination rights and clauses governing
events of force majeure.
– A project must be in the position to raise debt. Hardly any
investor will finance a renewable energy project wholly by
equity. In order to raise debt, adequate security rights must
exist, as no financial institution will lend without collateral.
In MENA projects, designing an adequate security package
can be the key to the success of the project.
– The investment must be protected against expropriation or
other unfair treatment from the side of the host country.
Whereas most countries in the MENA region were considered
to be “stable” and “investor friendly” in the past
(whether correctly or not), the Arab Spring has shook investor
confidence. While it must be emphasised that the political
transformation bears significant upside potential in the
economic field, at the present point in time a sober analysis
has to conclude that the future across the region is uncertain.
Bilateral Investment Treaties (“BITs”), which Germany
has concluded with many countries across the region, provide
a certain relief. The BITs protect an investment against
expropriation and other unfair treatment by the host country
and provide – for example – the investor with a compensation
claim in the event of an unfair (because unfounded)
termination of the power purchase agreement.
Zafarana IV Wind Farm, Egypt

Project loans
Fund Structures
Project finance structures have been used across the MENA
region for decades – be it in the oil and gas sector, for (conventional)
independent power projects or in the real estate and
tourism sector. Under a project finance structure a loan is
extended to a special purpose vehicle owning and operating
the project. Normally, the cash flow of the project will be the
only (or major) source of recourse in relation to repayment of
the loan. The structure is a common way of “leveraging” long
term investments.
In relation to renewable energy projects, a number of issues
tend to arise. It goes without saying that the legal framework
differs from one country to another. While the project loan
often is governed by foreign law, the creation of security is subject
to local laws. Here, across the MENA region, the following
issues will typically arise:
– When equipment is firmly installed on the site, property
passes to the land owner. Whether this also applies to wind
and solar farms continues to be the subject of debate, especially
because usually the installations are removed at the
end of the project’s life cycle. This however can affect attaching
security rights to the equipment.
– In government contracts, claims are not freely assignable.
Thus, if claims under the PPA are assigned for security purposes,
there must be consent from the government authority
involved. The assignment must be addressed at an early
stage of the negotiations.
– Usually there is no floating charge that would permit
encumbering present and future assets of the project.
Instead, a pledge agreement must specify in detail the
assets that are pledged. With regard to project revenues, a
special project account is usually set up (“cash trap”).
– Normally, a pledge requires that the pledgee takes possession
of the assets pledged. This is often impractical. Here, a
bailee structure can provide relief, according to which a certain
person (e. g. member of management) exercises possession
for and on behalf of the pledgee.
Now the challenge is to transfer the experiences from the oil
and gas sector to the renewable energy sector, which requires a
thorough knowledge of project financing techniques and of
the specificities of renewable energy projects.
While project loans serve to raise debt, fund structures can be
used to raise the equity required for the project (usually in a
range of 20 % to 40 %). So far, in most MENA projects the equity
has been raised by the sponsors themselves. This means that
the sponsors who initiate the project simultaneously are the
shareholders in the project company and fund the company
through contributions and loans.
When a sponsor wants to seek contributions from further
investors, fund structures can be used. Here, either the investors
participate as limited or silent partners in the project company
(meaning that their involvement is limited to a financial
contribution) or a separate feeder fund is set up. With regard to
MENA projects, fund structures are not common so far. Due to
the risk structure, up to now MENA projects are not appealing
to high net worth individuals who would be attracted by wind
and solar parks in Europe.
However, a number of investment funds that are investing
in renewable energies globally and are looking into developing
projects in the MENA region have been set up. Here, the private
investor does not invest directly in a project, but in a fund that
in turn invests in a number of projects of a large diversity. Such
investment funds have the advantage that they invest in
numerous projects, so that the risks are diversified and mitigated.
Investment funds would usually come in when the
project development, to a certain extent, has already started.
They rarely engage in greenfield investments. Furthermore,
these institutional investors would depend on certain market
practices and standards which have not developed everywhere
in the MENA region so far.
Project Bonds
On the debt side, project bonds can be an interesting alternative
to project loans. Under a bond structure, the project company
would issue project bonds and would hereby tap the capital
market to raise debt. For the project company this has the
advantage that it can access the capital markets. The downside
of project bonds is that the structure inevitably is more complex
than a loan structure. Moreover, in case of a restructuring
of the project should be required, it is often easier to deal with
a lender (or small group of lenders) than with a large (and anonymous)
group of bondholders. Project bonds have been used in
a number of infrastructure transactions across the region and –
also structured as Islamic “sukuk” bonds – have enjoyed considerable
popularity in the Arab Gulf. Renewable energy projects
are ideally suited for Islamic investors, as they perfectly comply
with Sharia requirements. Nevertheless, projects will have to
mature further, both technically and commercially, before they
are ready to be offered to the capital market.
Special Topics | Renewable Energy Finance
100 | 101

Acceleration in a resonator.
Electromagnetic fields accelerate the electrons in the superconducting resonators.
© DESY 2000
Knowledge for the Desert –
A Euro-Mediterranean Partnership
on Science and Energy
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
Stephan Haid | Project Manager
Given the many existing links between Europe and its southern Mediterranean neighbours and
considering the current political upheavals in Tunisia, Egypt, and other Arab countries, Europe is
asked to send a clear signal of support to help strengthening the capacities of its neighbours in
Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
A stable democratic consolidation has only a chance if it is
accompanied by a sustainable economic development that is
based on forward-oriented jobs for the young population in
the Arab world. Particularly among the youth, the unemployment
rates in many Arab countries are the highest worldwide.
The poor employment opportunity is one of the reasons for
the protest movement. But also democratically elected governments
will have to address the social and economic problems
and have to demonstrate a sustainable perspective for its fast
growing population.

Renewable energies
from the desert
Capacity building in science,
research and innovation
The renewable-energy sector holds enormous opportunities
for the MENA region. Above all, a reliable, affordable and sustainable
supply with electric power is of importance for the
economic growth and, therefore, for the democratic development
of the whole region. While on the one hand there are
pressing challenges in MENA, like the fast growing population
and the simultaneous strive for enhanced prosperity, both
leading to increased demands for energy and water, there
exists on the other hand an immense potential of solar energy
with an annual average solar irradiance of up to 2,400 kWh/m 2 .
Depending on the availability of solar infrastructure, like Concentrating
Solar Power Plants (CSP), MENA would be able to produce
enough energy and co-generated water through seawater
desalination for its own demands. Moreover, there are prospects
that excess energy might be exported to European markets
to cover up to 15 to 20 % of European needs by 2050. At
least since the nuclear disaster of Fukushima, Europe realises
its urgent need for cleanly produced electricity. Obviously a
close partnership between Europe and its Arab neighbours
should be encouraged to accomplish this.
Such a partnership can only be successful if it is established
on eye level. For the example of the gigantic desert energy
project DESERTEC, this means that from the start the MENA
region must be enabled to benefit on multiple levels. Besides,
implementing a sustainable energy supply the MENA region
should profit from technology and know-how transfer and
should exploit its potentials with regards to local industries
and new sources for income and employment. However, this
also requires a considerable effort from the southern Mediterranean
states. If jobs for manufacturing components and constructing
solar power plants are not created at a sufficient level
in the MENA region, these countries would remain dependent
on foreign knowledge and technology. Therefore, to obtain a
large share of the value-added chain, capacity building for
highly qualified jobs is needed in the MENA region.
Scientific, technological, and educational cooperation between
Europe and MENA needs to be significantly enhanced – on all
levels and in all domains – to build up the capacities, communities,
and collaborations that are required for a large-scale
deployment of renewable energies in the desert.
There are already existing institutions and programs aiming
to transfer technical know-how from Europe to MENA. For
example, the DESERTEC Foundation launched a university network
with 18 universities from North Africa and the Middle
East as well as European institutes and enterprises to support
the training of specialised staff in the field of solar technology.
Another example is the enerMENA project of the German Aerospace
Centre DLR, one of the leading research institutes in concentrated
solar power and early advocates of the DESERTEC
concept. They cooperate with Northern African countries,
which are about to implement their first solar power plants.
Dissemination of technology and multiplication of local knowhow
are main targets of this project.
Beside the important issue of training of specialised staff,
implementation of a modern science and education system is
also needed. For economic recovery the capacity for innovation
is a key factor. The Arab countries have a lot of catching up to
do in this regard. Unlike China or other Asian countries the
Arab countries have to catch up with independent and largescale
development of capital-intensive goods and technologies.
But that would be necessary for a sustainable economic development.
Research partnerships that cross boundaries between
regions are key elements for development and poverty reduction.
Up to now investments of the North in research cooperation
with the South are not yet significant enough to act as
motor for local development. Transfer of knowledge and technology
from North to South can only be effective once education
and research structures are established at the receiving
end and newly acquired knowledge can be applied locally.
Strengthening the capacities in the areas of science, research,
and innovation of the MENA countries is a big challenge and
should be the priority for new EU-programmes in context of
the European neighbour policy.
Scientists working with PETRA III,
one of the best X-Ray radiation sources in the world.
© DESY 2011
Special Topics | Knowledge for the Desert
102 | 103

After signing a scientific cooperation agreement
between DESY and SESAME (ltr.):
Prof. Dr. Sir Chris Llewellyn-Smith (President SESAME Council),
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Klaus Töpfer (Executive Director IASS),
Prof. Dr.Dr.h.c. Helmut Dosch (Chairman of the DESY Board of Directors),
Prof. Dr.Gretchen Kalonji (UNESCO)
and Prof. Dr. Khaled Toukan (Minister for Energy
and Mineral Resources, Jordan). © DESY 2011
Scientists and industrial representatives
discussed the possibilities of a science and energy
partnership between Europe
and the Southern Mediterranean countries.
© DESY 2011
A joint European and MENA energy
and science region
Under the patronage of UNESCO more than 250 representatives
of 30 nations convened at the “Solar Energy for Science” Symposium
on 19 and 20 May 2011 in Hamburg to make first steps
towards a joint European and MENA energy and science region.
The participants and the speakers – among them two Nobel
laureates – including a multi-disciplinary high-level representation
from various science organisations, research institutes,
from the solar energy industry, and from funding agencies as
well as from the European Commission draw the conclusion
that with political transitions underway in the MENA countries
there is now a unique opportunity to strengthen the European-
MENA scientific partnership offering long-term perspectives
for the whole Euro-Mediterranean area.
Thanks to its cooperative and international nature, science
can build bridges into the future – towards more sustainability,
growth, and stability. To this end science should also be understood
as an instrument of diplomacy and should help resolving
global problems.
Therefore DESY, Germany’s largest accelerator centre, and its
initiative “Solar Energy for Science” is proposing a strategic
partnership between scientific institutions from MENA and
Europe that couples scientific cooperation with sustainable
energy supply.
The central element of the proposed strategic partnership is
scientific cooperation. For example, granting access to large
scale European research infrastructures, establishing local scientific-technical
research capacities, fostering scientific
exchange, training of young scientists, and promoting technology
transfer are essential ingredients to advance the MENA
region towards a knowledge-based society.
This binding agreement between the cooperating partners
couples scientific collaboration to the advancement of renewable
energy exploitation in MENA and to an accelerated integration
of a Euro-Mediterranean energy market. The participating
partners will get direct or indirect access to sustainable energy
resources. The long-term goal is that DESY, but also other
national or European research centres, partly cover their power
needs with renewable energies from MENA and in return offer
scientific exchange with partner institutions in this region.
As a first concrete step in accordance with “Solar Energy for
Science” DESY and SESAME (Synchrotron-light for Experimental
Science and Applications in the Middle East), a research centre
which is presently under construction in Jordan, agreed on
such a scientific cooperation. SESAME, a multilateral cooperation
project with representatives from Israel, Jordan, Iran,
Cyprus, Turkey, Palestine, Bahrain, and Egypt, will strengthen
basic research in natural sciences, counteract brain drain, and
supply links for a sustainable Euro-Mediterranean partnership.
This strategic partnership should act as stimulus for further
follow-up projects.
A Euro-Mediterranean partnership based on knowledge and
future-proof renewable energy technologies thus would not
only make use of the immense local natural resources but
above all exploit the enormous potential of the young population
in the Middle East and North Africa.

The Industrial Consortium Dii:
Building a Sustainable Energy Future
Based on the Desertec Vision
Type of technologies considered
for the first reference project.
Source: SIEMENS
Dii GmbH
Paul van Son | Dii CEO
Energy is one of the crucial elements for life on earth. The main sources of energy today are
exhaustible and the use of such has a negative impact on our natural environment. In order to
protect living conditions for the present and future generation, a reliable and sustainable
energy supply will therefore be one of the major challenges of mankind. The recent worldwide
re-evaluation of our energy supply following the Fukushima catastrophe accelerates the
pressing question of our times: Where are the large sustainable energy resources for the future?
An immense energy potential can be found in the deserts globally.
All regions of the world that have access to this potential
could be sustainably supplied with clean power. The Desertec
vision points out the enormous amount of energy being
released from the sun to the deserts of our earth every day. An
abundance of electric energy could be generated from these
sources and existing technologies would be capable of delivering
this energy to the diverse energy markets day and night. As
a result of the growing energy cooperation between Europe
(EU), the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), these regions
now have a unique chance to inaugurate a new era based on
partnership and which will contribute to their joint prosperity.
Dii, the industrial consortium comprising 56 institutions from
all over the world, works towards creating the framework for
the implementation of the Desertec vision in the EU-MENA
regions. The specific aim is to deliver the framework for largescale
use of renewable energy from the North African and Middle
Eastern deserts. Desert power is initially intended for both
the local energy demand of the producing countries and
export. Desertec is a vision: an overall concept rather than one
centralised, stand alone project. Numerous individual projects
will be created in cooperation with local stakeholders (governments,
companies), aiming to produce and transfer power generated
from renewable energies. Dii is the facilitator, catalyst
and coordinator of the entire process.
Special Topics | Building a Sustainable Energy Future
104 | 105

First reference projects on the way
Reference projects, also known as joint projects, are not only
important to show that renewable energies can be appropriately
generated, transferred and sold, but also to make the
abstract nature of the Desertec vision tangible. All feasible
technologies for producing and transporting power are already
in use worldwide. Nevertheless, investors will require confirmation
that it is indeed both possible and practical in economic,
technical and regulatory terms to generate energy in the desert
and transport this power by crossing borders to as far afield as
Europe.
Dii is therefore planning to offer two to three reference
projects to tender. The first joint project involves collaboration
with MASEN, the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy. Further
projects could ensue in Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt.
The industrial consortium has three objectives:
– The creation of a positive investment climate: to develop
the technological, economic, political and regulatory framework,
thereby attracting interest, as well as enabling investment,
in renewable energies and interconnected power
grids in North Africa and the Middle East.
– The initiation of selected reference projects as a means of
demonstrating overall feasibility and reducing costs.
– The development of a long-term implementation concept
(Rollout Plan) by the year 2050, including guidance on
investment and funding.
The benefits of desert power
for the EU-MENA region
The Desertec vision holds important economic, ecological and
socio-economic opportunities for North Africa, the Middle East
and Europe.
In the coming decades the energy demand in the MENA
region will increase rapidly. The development of renewable
energies and the necessary infrastructure will not only help to
fulfil this demand but also encourage a diminished dependency
on fossil and nuclear energy sources and enhance overall
energy security. Furthermore, the energy produced may be
exported. This can lead to economic growth and prosperity in
the entire region. With the creation of local industries, jobs and
knowledge transfer the Desertec vision will positively influence
the producing countries socio-economically.
Europe will not only be able to reduce its dependency on
non-sustainable energy resources and avoid carbon emissions,
but will also achieve its renewable energy targets by importing
power from the deserts. A real energy partnership between the
EU and MENA regions will consolidate political stability and
present various investment opportunities.
Morocco
Of all countries that are suitable as locations for the first reference
project, Morocco stands to the fore as a power grid connection
already exists between Morocco and Spain. In June
2011, the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen) and Dii
signed a Memorandum of Understanding on a cooperation
project, the aim of which is the development of a large solar
project in Morocco. Masen will act as project developer and
manage the overall process locally, in particular the project
requirements definition and location identification. The industrial
consortium, acting as enabler, will provide its expertise to
develop a feasible business case for the planned solar project.
This will include the preparation of economic and regulatory
conditions for the export of electricity from the deserts to
Europe and also the promotion of the planned solar project in
the EU and among governments and institutions that have a
long term interest in desert power.
The first pilot project to be implemented within the framework
of this partnership will be a solar plan of 500 megawatts
(MW) with 400 MW of concentrated solar power with the
remaining 100 MW reserved for photovoltaic. To demonstrate
the power supply coverage potential: estimations show that
80 % of the 500 MW pilot plant could supply electricity to
approx. 400,000 German households and the remaining 20 %
could supply the majority of Moroccan homes. In theory, the
electricity from the pilot project will be transported from
Morocco to Spain and from Spain to other countries in the EU.
This will allow experts to verify the opportunity to export the
energy to Europe. The pilot project will require approx. 2 billion
Euros from both public funding and private investments.
The first desert power could be delivered to Europe in 2014.

Tunisia
Earlier this year, first steps were taken to facilitate the implementation
of the Desertec vision in Tunisia. STEG Energies
Renouvables, together with Dii, have initiated a pre-feasibility
study of extensive solar and wind energy projects in Tunisia.
Technical and regulatory prerequisites, necessary for both local
energy consumption and the export of electricity to neighbouring
countries, will be reviewed. The study will also review the
financing of a possible reference project in Tunisia together with
EU member states, the Tunisian government, local and European
industries. Furthermore, the industrial consortium has
opened an office in Tunisia, headed by Mr. René Buchler, in order
to facilitate a closer working relationship with North Africa.
Key future challenges
“Europe has finally acknowledged North Africa as its neighbour.”
Paul van Son, CEO of Dii.
One of the major challenges in the future will be to build partnerships
across the entire EU-MENA region and to guide and
drive developments in collaboration with local authorities.
These partnerships are essential to the successful building of a
reliable and sustainable energy supply. They will allow European
and Arab partners to share resources and know-how,
define common interests and closely link policies to overcome
the energy challenges.
Storage and concentrated solar technologies must be further
developed and improved in order to achieve the optimal level
of power generation in the deserts. Public acceptance of the
necessary infrastructure projects is also a vital factor to the success
of the Desertec vision in the entire EU-MENA region.
Regarding the transmission of this desert power, the main
challenges facing us will be the installation of a supergrid as
well as the securing of a financial and regulatory framework for
HVDC (high voltage direct current). The circulation of accurate
information concerning mid- and long term electricity generation
plans will also be required in order to plan the relevant
transmission investments.
Political challenges such as the implementation of the EU
Renewable Energy Directive framework into national legislation
must be overcome. In addition to this, a review of existing
renewable energy development support schemes should be
carried out in order to ensure that the optimal incentives for
said development are in place.
Finally, from a financial point of view, it is essential to
ensure maximum use of the existing and appropriate financial
tools in order to reduce costs, set up adequate frameworks and
regulations to encourage private investments, and identify
realistic costs and revenues.
Type of technologies considered for the first reference project.
Source: Abb
Paul van Son, CEO of Dii
Special Topics | Building a Sustainable Energy Future
106 | 107

Left to right: Mr. Al-Mikhlafi | Secretary General Ghorfa,
H. E. Al-Ghanim | President, Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
H. E. Prof. Dr. med. Shobokshi | Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
and Doyen of the Arab Diplomatic Corps and Dr. Bach | President Ghorfa
H. E. Dr. Saleh Hussein Alawaji |
Chairman of the Board, Saudi Electricity Company
List of Contributors
From left to right: H. E. Ali M. Thunyan Al-Ghanim | President, Kuwait Chamber
of Commerce and Industry, H. E. Mohamad Ahmed Al-Mahmood |
Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, H. E. Dr. Zeinab Al-Qasmiah |
Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman, Mr. Nabil R. Kuzbari |
Vice President of the Arab-Austrian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
H. E. Amr Moussa | Former Secretary General of the Arab League discussing
with exhibitors at the 1 st German-Arab Energy Forum

Ghorfa Arab-German Chamber
of Commerce and Industry
Building Bridges between Germany
and the Arab World
About us
The Ghorfa Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry
is the competence centre for business relations between Germany
and the Arab world. It was founded in 1976 on the initiative
of Arab as well as German decision-makers and since 1
August 2000, it is located in Berlin. The Board of Directors and
the Executive Board equally consist of German and Arab members.
This guarantees balance and mutual trust. Not only major
German and Arab enterprises are among our members, numerous
small and medium-sized enterprises complete our topclass
network.
Our network
The Ghorfa operates under the umbrella of the General Union
of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for Arab
Countries and acts as the official representative of all Arab
Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Germany. Our chamber
works closely with the Arab embassies in Germany, the
Arab League and related governmental bodies in the Arab
states. It is part of the worldwide organisation of Arab foreign
Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The Ghorfa cooperates
with German governmental bodies on federal and regional
level and the most important German industrial associations.
What we do
We actively promote and strengthen business relationships
among our members and within the wider Arab and German
business community. We pave the way for stronger business
cooperation in the fields of trade, industry, finance and investment
between Arab and German business partners. Strategic
partnerships based on mutual benefit and understanding create
new business opportunities to facilitate economic benefits
for both sides. We therefore mainly focus on networking, communication
and on providing information about relevant economic
and industrial developments.
Networking
– Quick access to decision-makers from industry and politics
– Organisation of delegation visits
– Organisation of events, conferences and further contact
platforms (e. g. German-Arab Business, Energy, Tourism,
Health, Education and Vocational Training)
– Ghorfa joint booths at major Arab and German trade fairs
– Promoting member services and products to a wider business
community
Consulting
– Connecting with matching business partners
– General and business-related intercultural consulting
– Country and branch specific analysis
– Mediation and arbitration in cases of business disputes
– Advice and guidance through the multitude of offers and
competing products on the German and Arab market
– Comprehensive and detailed market information about
Germany and the 22 Arab states
– Visa support
Information
– Early information about projects and tenders
– Monthly issued Arabic and German newsletters
– Quarterly bilingual business magazine SOUQ
– Arab-German Trade Directory providing over 6,000 yearly
updated company profiles
– Arab-German Yearbooks that focus on industry-sector specific
topics
– Information on the latest economic developments, markets
and sectors, legal and political background
We welcome you to become part of the high-level network that
we provide for professionals and business leaders from the Arab
world and Germany. Join us and share our vision of prospering
Arab-German business relations. For further information concerning
membership in our chamber please contact us:
Ghorfa
Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry e. V.
Garnisonkirchplatz 1, 10178 Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49 30 278907 – 0 | Fax: +49 30 278907 – 49
ghorfa@ghorfa.de | www.ghorfa.de
H. E. Dr. h. c. Otto Schily | Former German Interior Minister
in conversation
List of Contributors
108 | 109

Alstom Power
Alstom is a global leader in the world of power generation and transmission
and rail infrastructure. Alstom builds the fastest train and the highest capacity
automated metro in the world, provides turnkey integrated power plant
solutions and associated services for a wide variety of energy sources,
including hydro, nuclear, gas, coal and wind, and it offers a wide range of
solutions for power transmission, with a focus on smart grids.
Project:
Contact:
Shoaiba Stage III
Nader Abdellatif | Country President Saudi Arabia
ALSTOM Saudi Arabia Transport & Power
Platinum Building, 6th Floor, Sitten Street, Malaz Area, Riyadh
11466, Saudi Arabia
nader.abdellatif@crn.alstom.com | www.alstom.com
Amereller Legal Consultants – Mena Associates
Amereller Legal Consultants are a law firm specialised in business law in the
MENA region with offices in Cairo, Damascus, Dubai, Baghdad, Erbil and Basra.
In Germany, the firm has offices in Munich and Berlin. Amereller advises
multinational companies, international organisations and leading Arab
businesses on investments across the MENA region. For a long time,
investments in renewable energies and climate change have been a focus of
Amereller and lawyers of the firm are called regularly to advise on energy law
and policy in the region.
Project: Renewable Energy Finance –
Bringing the Private Sector in
Contact: Dr. Kilian Bälz | Attorney
Amereller Legal Consultants
21 Soliman Abaza, Mohandesseen, Cairo, Egypt
Phone: +20 2 37 62 62 01 | Mobile: +20 166 92 26 98
kb@amereller.com | www.amereller.com
Arab Union of Electricity (AUE)
Arab Union of Electricity (AUE)
AUE was established in 1987. Active members: 29, represent electricity
ministries and utilities in the Arab Countries, and 20 Associate members in
addition to 2 observing members. AUE aims at developing and improving the
generation, transmission and distribution of electrical Energy in the Arab
world and fosters cooperation and coordination among its members in the
fields of development, improvement and integration of the electricity sector.
Project:
Contact:
Electricity Interconnection Projects among Arab Countries
Fawzi Kharbat | Engineer, Secretary General
Arab Union of Electricity
P. O. Box 2310, Amman 11181
Phone: +962 6 581 91 64
fkharbat@nepco.com.jo | www.Auptde.org
Babcock Borsig Steinmüller GmbH (BBS) is a subsidiary of Bilfinger Berger
Power Services GmbH. It is one of the leading services providers for the power
generating industry. Its activities focus on engineering-based power plant
services and project business. The service concept of BBS combines a wide
product and service range for every area of power plant technology. Babcock
Borsig Steinmüller currently has approximately 1,000 employees worldwide.
Babcock Borsig Steinmüller (BBS)
Project:
Contact:
Efficiency improvements using heat recovery systems
for conventional power plants
Dipl. Ing. Frank Adamczyk | Head of Heat Recovery Department
Babcock Borsig Steinmüller GmbH
Duisburger Straße 375, 46049 Oberhausen, Germany
Phone: +49 208 45 75 79 70
frank.adamczyk@bbs.bilfinger.com | www.bbs.bilfinger.com
Bollinger + Grohmann Ingenieure is a Frankfurt based engineering consultancy
with more than 25 years experience and expertise in structural engineering
and design. Founded in 1983, today Bollinger + Grohmann has 100 employees
in four European offices and one office in Australia. They provide a complete
range of structural design services for clients and projects worldwide. For years
Bollinger + Grohmann has been collaborating successfully with numerous
internationally recognised architects and strives to always provide the best
solution through their creativity and technical excellence.
Bollinger + Grohmann
Project:
Contact:
Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Centre, Al Ain,
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
King Fahad National Library, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Competition – Place Lalla Yeddouna, Medina, Fès, Morocco
Dr.-Ing. Lamia Messari-Becker | Head of Sustainability
and Building Performance
Bollinger + Grohmann
Westhafenplatz 1, 60327 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Phone: +49 69 24 00 07–0 | Fax: +49 69 24 00 07–30
office@bollinger-grohmann.de | www.bollinger-grohmann.de
Caparol LLC
Caparol manufactures high quality coatings and thermal insulation systems. It
is the market leader in Germany and Austria and is the third largest paint
manufacturer in Europe. Caparol was established in Dubai in 1998 and
manufactures a full range of products locally. Recent successful projects in the
U.A.E. include the installation of thermal insulation solutions at the Sofitel and
Ritz Carlton Hotels, launch of a low VOC paint and a colour scheme for the
Jumeirah Golf Estates project.
Project:
Contact:
Thermal Insulation at the SOFITEL Hotel,
Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai
Ahmed El Bayaa | Regional Sales Manager
Caparol LLC
P. O. Box 62182, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Phone: +971 4 347 35 38 | Fax: +971 4 347 42 56
ahmed.bayaa@caparol.ae | www.caparol.com

CUBE Engineering GmbH
Project:
Contact:
Wind energy in Libya
Stefan Chun | General Manager
CUBE Engineering GmbH
Breitscheidstraße 6, 34119 Kassel, Germany
Phone: +49 561 28 85 73 – 0 | Fax +49 561 28 85 73 – 19
kassel@cube-engineering.com | www.cube-engineering.com
Since the last 20 years CUBE Engineering has brought its professional services
to bear on more than 3,000 renewable energy projects in 48 countries with a
combined output in excess of 10 GW. Our services include management
consulting, wind assessment, planning and project management,
environmental assessment, electrical grid and networks, decentralized energy
systems and solar assessment.
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)
Project:
Contact:
Euro-Mediterranean Partnership on Science and Energy
Stephan Haid | Project Manager
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron
Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
Phone: +49 40 89 98 25 22
Stephan.Haid@desy.de | www.desy.de
The Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY is an internationally renowned
centre for the investigation of the structure and function of matter. DESY is a
member of the Helmholtz Association and stands for scientific expertise,
excellent research infrastructure, and long lasting strategic collaborations with
national and international research institutions.
Dii GmbH
Project:
Contact:
Building a sustainable energy future
on the basis of the Desertec vision
Sigrid Goldbrunner | Corporate Communication
Dii GmbH
Kaiserstraße 14, 80801 München, Germany
Phone: +49 89 340 77 05 – 61 | Fax: +49 89 340 77 05 – 11
goldbrunner@dii-eumena.com | www.dii-eumena.com
Founded in Munich in October 2009, Dii is an international industrial
consortium which works towards creating the framework for the
implementation of the Desertec vision in Europe, the Middle East and North
Africa. As facilitator of the entire process, Dii aims to achieve three objectives
these being the creation of a technological, economic, political and regulatory
framework in order to attract investments, the initiation of selected reference
projects to demonstrate feasibility and the development of a long term
implementation concept by the year 2050 to guide investment and funding.
Europoles GmbH & Co. KG
Project:
Contact:
Market Introduction of Innovative Mast Solutions
in the Middle East by Construction
of Local Production Facilities in Nizwa, Oman
Tobias Fersch | Head of Special Projects
Europoles GmbH & Co. KG
Ingolstädter Straße 51, 92318 Neumarkt, Germany
Phone: +49 9181 896 84 87 | Fax: +49 9181 896 14 19
Mobile: +49 176 10 98 80 27
tobias.fersch@europoles.com | www.europoles.com
As market leader in Europe for poles, columns, towers, and other carrier
systems Europoles supports companies throughout the world in solving their
infrastructure and construction challenges with extra safety and quality.
The long-established company, located in Bavaria, Germany, supplies standard
and special solutions made of steel, concrete, and FRP, for medium-sized
companies as well as for large corporate entities.
Ferrostaal AG
Project:
Contact:
Solar Thermal Power Plants – Egypt’s Kom Ombo and Others
Gerret Kalkoffen | Head of Business Development Power & Solar
Power & Solar
Hohenzollernstraße 24, 45128 Essen, Germany
Phone: +49 201 818 22 52 | Fax: +49 201 818 35 14
gerret.kalkoffen@ferrostaal.com | www.ferrostaal.com
Ferrostaal is a global provider of industrial services in plant construction
and engineering. As a technology-independent system integrator, the company
offers development and management of projects, financial planning,
and construction services for turnkey installations in the segments of
petrochemicals, power & solar and industrial plants.
Fichtner GmbH & Co. KG
Project:
Contact:
Qatar grid expansion
Mansour Hamza | Managing Director
Fichtner GmbH & Co. KG
Sarweystraße 3, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany
Phone: +49 711 89 95 – 0 | Fax: +49 711 89 95 – 459
Mansour.Hamza@fichtner.de | Phone: +49 711 89 95 –712
info@fichtner.de | www.fichtner.de
With over 1,800 employees Fichtner offers engineering and consultancy
services worldwide in the field of thermal power plants, renewable energies,
energy transmission and distribution, energy efficiency, energy economy,
waste management, environmental management, environmental protection
technologies, climate protection, water supply and sanitation, hydraulic
engineering, transportation as well as business consulting and IT consultancy.
List of Contributors
110 | 111

With over 1,800 employees Fichtner offers engineering and consultancy
services worldwide in the field of thermal power plants, renewable energies,
energy transmission and distribution, energy efficiency, energy economy,
waste management, environmental management, environmental protection
technologies, climate protection, water supply and sanitation, hydraulic
engineering, transportation as well as business consulting and IT consultancy.
Fichtner GmbH & Co. KG
Project:
Contact:
Shams One 100 MW concentrated solar plant
Mansour Hamza | Managing Director
Fichtner GmbH & Co. KG
Sarweystraße 3, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany
Phone: +49 711 89 95 – 0 | Fax: +49 711 89 95 – 459
Mansour.Hamza@fichtner.de | Phone: +49 711 89 95 –712
info@fichtner.de | www.fichtner.de
First Solar GmbH
First Solar manufactures solar modules with an advanced semiconductor
technology and provides comprehensive photovoltaic (PV) system solutions.
First Solar has an extensive track record of engineering procurement and
construction for utility-scale PV power plants in desert regions. The company is
delivering an economically viable alternative to fossil-fuel generation today.
From raw material sourcing through end-of-life collection and recycling, First
Solar is focused on creating cost-effective, renewable energy solutions that
protect and enhance the environment.
Project:
Contact:
The value of renewable energies in the MENA region
Dipl. Ing. Karim Asali (MBA) | Technical Development Manager
First Solar GmbH
Rheinstraße 4B, 55116 Mainz, Germany
Phone: +49 6131 14 43 – 215
Kasali@firstsolar.com | www.firstsolar.com
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
GmbH
Overall contact person: Dr. Nikolaus Supersberger | Senior Business
Developer Energy, Internaional Services
MED-ENEC
Energy Efficiency in the Construction
Sector in the Mediterranean
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Dag-Hammarskjöld-Weg 1 – 5, 65760 Eschborn, Germany
Phone: +49 6196 79 30 20
nikolaus.supersberger@giz.de | www.giz.de
Through GIZ is (International Services)
Project:
Contact:
MED-ENEC
This project is funded by the European Union
Florentine Visser | MED-ENEC Key Expert
Through GIZ is (International Services)
MED-ENEC II Project Office, 7 Tag El-Din El-Soubky Street,
11631 Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt
Phone: +20 2 2418 15 78/9 (Ext. 108)
florentine.visser@giz.de | www.med-enec.eu
GIZ
Working efficiently, effectively and in a spirit of partnership, the Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) supports people and
societies worldwide in creating sustainable living conditions and building
better futures. In addition to the German Federal Government, GIZ also
provides international clients with its expertise in terms of economic and
result-oriented services.
Project:
Contact:
Improvement of Energy Efficiency
of the Water Authority of Jordan (IEE)
Dieter Rothenberger | Head of the IEE Programme
GIZ Office Amman
P. O. Box 92 62 38, Amman 11190, HK of Jordan
Phone: +962 6 56 86 96 – 0
dieter.rothenberger@giz.de | www.giz.de
ILF Consulting Engineers Germany
ILF Consulting Engineers was founded in 1969 and has since then provided
design, project management and construction supervision on more
than 2000 projects world-wide. Having worked in 35 countries ILF ranks high
among the international consultancy firms engaged in the energy and
desalination industry.
Project:
Contact:
Algerian desalination market update
Thomas Altmann | Executive Vice President,
Energy & Desalination
ILF Beratende Ingenieure GmbH
Werner-Eckert-Straße 7, 818129 Munich, Germany
Phone: +49 89 255 59 41 30
thomas.altmann@ilf.com | www.ilf.com

Kraftanlagen München GmbH
Project:
Contact:
AlSol – Feasibility for a solar thermal tower power
and gas turbine plant in Algeria
Dipl.-Ing. Gerrit Koll | MBA, Sales and Business Development
Manager Energy & Environment Technology
Kraftanlagen München GmbH
Ridlerstraße 31c, 80339 Munich, Germany
Phone: +49 89 623 74 31
kollg@ka-muenchen.de | www.ka-muenchen.de
In Germany and Europe Kraftanlagen München GmbH (KAM) is a leading
company for power plant and industrial plant construction. With several
decades of experience in engineering, piping erection and turn-key power
plant construction KAM provides complex solutions in the energy sector, with
more than 2,000 staff members and a yearly turnover of more than € 360
million. KAM offers a broad scope of services in the field of chemical- and
petrochemical plants, piping systems in conventional and nuclear power plants
and turn-key solutions for all kind of thermal power plants. For concentrating
solar power plants KAM has developed the open volumetric receiver technology
for solar tower power plants from laboratory to power plant scale
implementation in Jülich. KAM offers own solutions for Heliostat Fields,
Receiver and Hot Storage technology up to complete turn-key power plants.
Lahmeyer International
Project: Masdar’s 100 MW Noor 1 photovoltaic project
Lahmeyer International
Project:
First Larger Scale Wind Park Projects in Sudan
Lahmeyer International
Project:
Contact:
The Naga Hammadi Barrage on the river Nile
Ms. Sabine Wulf | Department Head Marketing and Business
Development Coordination
Lahmeyer International
Friedberger Straße 173, 61118 Bad Vilbel, Germany
Phone: +49 6101 55 – 0 | Fax: +49 6101 55 – 22 22
info@lahmeyer.de | www.lahmeyer.de
40 years of successful project development in Arab and Middle East countries,
rendering engineering and consulting services in the fields of energy and
hydropower and water resources, make us a reliable partner. The sound
adjustment of conventional and new technologies with state-of-the-art knowhow
is the key to preserve precious primary energy resources and the
reasonable use of renewable energies.
Masa GmbH
Project:
Contact:
Energy Efficiency with AAC Building Materials
Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing. Peter Sommer | Marketing Director
Masa GmbH
Masa-Straße 2, 56626 Andernach, Germany
Phone: +49 2632 92 92 – 0 | Fax: +49 2632 92 92 – 12
info@Masa-group.com | www.Masa-group.com
Masa GmbH, Germany, supplies machinery and plants for high capacity
production of high quality concrete blocks, pavers and slabs as well as sand
lime bricks and aerated autoclaved blocks. Masa offers services and support
from design through manufacturing, assembly, commissioning, training,
production, and service.
Ministry of Water and Electricity
Project:
Contact:
Market Development and Business Opportunities
in the Power Sector of Saudi Arabia
Saleh Hussein Alawaji, Ph. D. | Deputy Minister for Electricity,
Ministry of Water and Electricity, Chairman of the Board,
Saudi Electricity Company (SEC)
Ministry of Water and Electricity, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
King Fahd Road, Saud Mall Center, Riyadh 11233
Phone: +966 1 203 88 88 24 57, +966 1 205 66 66 | Fax: +966 1 205 27 49
salawaji@mowe.gov.sa | info@mowe.gov.sa | www.mowe.gov.sa
The rapid developing power sector in Saudi Arabia creates great business
opportunities for the local and foreign investors. The sector is interested in,
and well prepared to build a long-term partnership with capable, qualified and
reliable partners in order to cooperate for tackling the major challenges facing
the sector. The German business community and industry are among the best
candidates for this partnership.
MWM GmbH
Project:
Contact:
Decentralized Power Generation in Combination
with Heat and Cold Supply
Hans Peter Stoll | Head of Sales
Africa/Middle East/India/Pakistan
MWM GmbH
Carl-Benz-Straße 1, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
Phone: +49 621 384 – 0
info@mwm.net | www.mwm.net
The long-established company MWM in Mannheim, Germany, is one of the
world‹s leading system providers of highly efficient and eco-friendly complete
plants for decentralised power supply with gas and diesel engines.
For 140 years, the company has stood for the reliable, uninterrupted provision
of electricity, heat, and cooling at all times and at any location.
MWM has 1,270 employees around the globe.
List of Contributors
112 | 113

SaEnergy Systems GmbH
SaEnergy Systems GmbH was established to create alternatives for
independent power generation based on renewable energy. The company’s
focus is the reliable and efficient combination of wind and solar power with
energy storage systems enabling the provision of affordable, sustainable
electricity and water in remote areas, in disaster relief situations, or as power
back-up systems.
Project:
Contact:
“Power&Life Container”
Klaus Naderer | Managing Director
SaEnergy Systems GmbH
Rungestraße 18, 10179 Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49 30 200 03 94 – 80 | Fax: +49 30 200 03 94 – 89
info@saenergy-systems.com | www.saenergy-systems.com
Siemens Middle East
Siemens Energy in the Middle East is a leading supplier of a complete
spectrum of products, services and solutions for the generation, transmission
and distribution of power and for the extraction, conversion and transport of
oil and gas. Siemens is the only technology company to offer future proof
solutions along the entire energy conversion chain. Not only has Siemens
provided the technology behind many of the region‹s key infrastructure
projects, the company also continuously strengthens the long term
commitment to the region with significant investments to industry and
education as well as involvement in corporate social responsibility projects.
Project:
Contact:
Smart grids for a cleaner future
Dietmar Siersdorfer | CEO Energy Sector, Middle East
Siemens Middle East
Siemens LLC
Siemens Building, Dubai Internet City, P. O. Box 2154, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +971 4 366 00 00 | Fax: +971 4 366 05 00
siemens.ae@siemens.com | www.siemens.com/entry/ae/en/

Imprint
Editor
Ghorfa
Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Garnisonkirchplatz 1, 10178 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 27 89 07 – 0 | Fax: +49 30 27 89 07 – 49
ghorfa@ghorfa.de | www.ghorfa.de
Coordination
Rafaela Rahmig | Head of Marketing/Business Development,
Ghorfa Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Editorial Office
Traudl Kupfer | Proofreading/Translation/Editing
Choriner Straße 52, 10435 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 24 35 28 05 | Fax: +49 30 24 35 28 06
Mobil: +49 171 203 30 30
info@traudl-kupfer.de | www.traudl-kupfer.de
Layout and Typesetting
doppelpunkt Kommunikationsdesign GmbH
Lehrter Straße 57, 10557 Berlin
Phone: +4930 39 06 39 – 30 | Fax: +49 30 39 06 39 – 40
mail@doppelpunkt.com | www.doppelpunkt.com
Print
DCM – Druck Center Meckenheim GmbH
Werner-von-Siemens-Straße 13, 53340 Meckenheim
Phone: +49 2225 88 93 – 550 | Fax: +49 2225 88 93 – 558
dcm@druckcenter.de
Copyrights of the images
Cover: © mauritius images/age
Page 9: Oil 8 © iStockphoto.com, Dan Bannister
Page 27: Solar Panels Out in the Desert
© iStockphoto.com, Skip ODonnell
Page 53: Energy, power in the Qatar desert
© iStockphoto.com/Paolo Gualdi
Page 54: Kindly provided by Lahmeyer International
Page 69: Environment © iStockphoto.com/Gilles Lougassi
Page 89: Futuristic Greenhouse in Desert
© iStockphoto.com/Mike Kiev
Page 93: pixelio.de/Sven Huxal
Page 95: pixelio.de/Cornerstone
Page 97 : Kindly provided by Lahmeyer International
Other pictures: Kindly provided by the contributing
companies, if not otherwise stated
October 2011
Imprint
114 | 115