Saudi Arabia’s 1.8GW Taiba 2 plant reaches first-fire milestone

Saudi Arabia’s 1.8GW Taiba 2 combined-cycle gas-fired power plant has achieved first fire on its initial gas-turbine unit, moving the project into a critical stage of testing and commissioning ahead of commercial operation.
The milestone concerns turbine GT11 and follows the completion of the construction and pre-commissioning work needed to introduce fuel and operate the machine for the first time. First fire allows project teams to begin a wider sequence of turbine testing, synchronisation and performance-verification activities.
Taiba 2 is being developed as an independent power project under a consortium comprising EDF, Aljomaih Energy & Water and Buhur for Investment. The Saudi Power Procurement Company is the principal buyer, with the project forming part of the kingdom’s programme to add efficient generating capacity to the electricity system.
The plant uses high-efficiency combined-cycle technology, in which heat from the gas turbines is recovered to generate additional electricity through steam turbines. It has also been designed to be carbon-capture-ready, allowing carbon-management equipment to be incorporated subsequently if required.
Siemens Energy previously said its work covering the Taiba 2 and Qassim 2 plants formed part of an approximately $1.5bn order, but neither that announcement nor the latest update provides a reliable stand-alone EPC value for Taiba 2. The project-specific value should therefore be recorded as undisclosed, rather than inferred by dividing the combined order.
The original delivery programme envisaged initial grid connection in simple-cycle configuration during 2026, followed by permanent combined-cycle operation in 2027. The first-fire milestone indicates that the project has entered the final stretch of physical delivery, with commissioning and staged generation now the principal activities.
Sources: Saudi Gulf Projects — first-fire update, Siemens Energy — original Taiba 2 and Qassim 2 order.