Saudi Electricity, GE sign deal to optimize power generation

Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with US industrial company General Electric (GE) to accelerate the digital transformation of the Kingdom’s power sector, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

The MoU was signed during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the US last month.

As per the agreement, the two companies will work to enhance the reliability, efficiency, and performance of the Kingdom's power sector through SEC’s Generation Optimization Center (GOC) that enables asset performance management at power plants.

The GOC is connected to up to 25 power plants that generate more than 40 gigawatts (GW) of power. It obtains real-time data on parameters such as fuel consumption, output and heat rate, allowing SEC to identify possible performance and reliability losses as well as providing real-time visibility on the cost of electricity production for each power plant. 

Separately, SEC and GE plan to implement digital industrial solutions, such as modern cyber security applications, at additional power plants that generate up to 25 GW of electricity. They will also put in place a joint team to drive greater reliability and performance at the sites.

Currently, over 50 SEC staff are being trained on the digital transformation initiative and will help in running the GOC, the statement added.