GE Oil & Gas has completed the first six high-efficiency gas compression trains manufactured in Saudi Arabia, which will be provided for Phase I of Saudi Aramco’s Master Gas System expansion project in the Kingdom.

These six compression trains, which have been fully manufactured locally at the GE Manufacturing & Technology Center (GEMTEC) in Dammam, are part of a multi-million dollar contract to provide 18 high-efficiency gas compression trains, each consisting of an aeroderivative gas turbine driving a centrifugal compressor. This year, six more trains will be manufactured at GEMTEC as part of Phase II.

The aeroderivative gas turbine (PGT25) components have been designed taking into account many years of experience gained by GE in the field by heavy duty gas turbines and axial/centrifugal compression. The aerodynamic blading was planned with the main objective of obtaining very high efficiency at both design and reduced speeds.

This is the first time that high-efficiency compression trains have been manufactured in Saudi Arabia at a center where 70 percent of the work force are Saudi nationals. GE Oil & Gas has qualified a network of Saudi-based suppliers for Saudi and global GE markets. This is a demonstration of GE’s commitment to Saudi Aramco’s IKTVA program objectives to localize 70 percent of Saudi Aramco spending in the Kingdom by 2021.

Rami Qasem, president & CEO, GE Oil & Gas, MENA & Turkey (MENAT), said: “GE Oil & Gas places a very strong focus on localization. Today, we’re celebrating the first high-efficiency compression trains assembled locally, which represents a key milestone in our initiatives addressing Saudi Aramco’s IKTVA program.”

GE Oil & Gas is also expanding its manufacturing facility at the MODON site in Dammam 2nd Industrial City to serve as a center for the supply of Made in Saudi pressure control equipment for Saudi and regional markets.