Siemens to Supply High-Voltage Switchgear in the United Arab Emirates

Siemens Energy is to supply gas-insulated 220-kV high-voltage switchgear (GIS) on a turnkey basis for power supply to an air separation plant for nitrogen production at a plant currently being built by Linde Engineering Division in Abu Dhabi. As of late 2010, the Linde Group and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Corp. (ADNOC) will, through their joint venture Elixier, produce nitrogen for gas recovery in the United Arab Emirates. The scope of supply encompasses gas-insulated 220-kV high-voltage switchgear, 120/140-MVA power transformers, auxiliary power systems, and protection and instrumentation and control systems for the substation. It also includes all civil engineering services including ventilation, air conditioning and fire protection equipment, logistics, installation and commissioning. The order is worth EUR60 million. The switchgear is scheduled to come on line in late 2010.

In terms of natural gas deposits the United Arab Emirates rank fifth in the world. Nitrogen, which the Linde Group will in the future also produce at the Elixier plant in Abu Dhabi, is required for the recovery of natural gas. Siemens Energy will install the turnkey 220-kV switchgear for power supply to an air separation plant where the nitrogen is produced. In addition to the high reliability of Siemens gas-insulated switchgear the space-saving design of GIS plays a decisive role in this industrial solution. Siemens Energy will also supply two large compressors for the air separation plant. The compressors increase the pressure of the air to be fractionated to 8.5 bar to enable efficient recovery of the nitrogen. The value of the order for the two compressors alone is more than EUR25 million.