GE’S Power Conversion business will provide electrical variable speed drive (eVSD) technology including, motors and MV7000 drives, to help power the new Yanbu 3 power and desalination plant in Saudi Arabia.

These new systems will increase the efficiency of the desalination plant, reducing the amount of energy needed to run the desalination process as well as the overall cost.

Upon completetion, the Yanbu 3 power and desalination shall provide 2,700 megawatts (MW) of reliable electricity and 550,000 cu m per day of clean water for 8 million residents and businesses in the region. The project is owned and supervised by Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) and located 200 kilometres north of Jeddah on the Red Sea coast.

"A growing population, alongside strong growth in industry, makes meeting the region’s energy and water needs one of our greatest challenges. GE provides us with a reliable, economical, scalable and efficient infrastructure, and its focus on exceptional customer care means we can confidently meet the kingdom’s utility needs now and in future," says Abdul Hadi Al Sheikh, deputy governor and project director of SWCC.

GE is supplying its MV7000 eVSD drive and electric motor equipment to pumps manufacturer KSB and its customer, local engineering, procurement and construction company Al Toukhi. The equipment will be used to power the boiler feed pumps at SWCC’s new Yanbu 3 facility.