Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has awarded a contract to the US’ Shaw Group to implement an asset management programme for its 37 operating power plants.

Shaw will look at aspects including safety, maintenance and staff management. Shaw previously won a contract to advise on improvements to SEC’s power plants in April 2010.

Around 61 per cent of SEC’s power generating capacity is simple-cycle gas-fired turbines, 33 per cent is steam fired, 5 per cent is combined cycle gas-fired and 1 per cent is diesel-fired. Shaw will be responsible to advising on all of SEC’s existing oil and gas-fired power stations.  

Under a separate agreement, Shaw, Japan’s Toshiba and the US’ Exelon have joined together with the intention of winning work on the kingdom’s nuclear power plants as part of the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA-Care).