650 MW Misurata simple cycle power plant
Misurata, Libya
Merit Award
Sent by: ENKA İnşaat ve Sanayi A.Ş.
Owner: General Electric Co. of Libya (GECOL)
EPC Contractor: ENKA Construction and Industry Inc.
MEP Engineer: ENKA İnşaat ve Sanayi A.Ş – Design and Engineering Center
Consortium partner: Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co.
Although Libya is a major producer of oil and gas, it has faced a shortfall in domestic energy production since the end of its second civil war in 2020. The country’s political turmoil and lack of of a stable manufacturing industry challenged EPC project contractor ENKA İnşaat and its consortium partner. Siemens to complete a 650 MW single-cycle gas-fired power plant in Misurata, one of two projects for customer General Electricity Co. of Libya, to restore power to the war-torn nation. The other project is being built near Tripoli.
ENKA undertook many of the oversight activities required to commission the project, as supervisors from international vendors were prohibited from traveling to Libya. The previous Misurata plant was destroyed during the war, and crews worked double shifts to install two Siemens-made turbines in its replacement.
In June 2022, the first turbine was connected to the owner’s grid, adding 325 MW of power to the grid. The facility’s second unit came on stream in early 2023 to provide the remainder. Libya now exports electricity to neighboring countries such as Egypt through interconnections.