French power giant Alstom has announced it has won a €170m ($227m) contract to supply generators for a power plant in Saudi Arabia.

The company has been selected by lead contractor Hyundai Heavy Industries to supply four 720 MW steam turbine generator sets for the Shuqaiq project which is due to enter commercial operation in 2017.

Alstom's contract includes the engineering, manufacturing, supply and field services for all four steam turbines and generators, and will also include all direct control and auxiliary systems, Alstom said in a statement.

The 2,650 MW power plant will be located on the kingdom’s western Red Sea coast and will be among the world’s most efficient facilities run on heavy fuel oil, it added.

The new contract comes just five months after Alstom was picked to supply five 620 MW steam turbine generators, supercritical boilers as well as electrostatic precipitators and flue gas desulphurisation systems for the Yanbu 3 plant in Saudi Arabia.

"We are proud to be selected by HHI as partner for this large and important project. This second substantial order for Saudi Arabia this year underlines Alstom's leading position in high efficiency steam turbine technologies," said Andreas Lusch, senior vice president for Alstom's steam business.

Currently more than one-fifth of Saudi electricity is generated on equipment supplied by Alstom, including those for the Shoaiba thermal power plant.

With a capacity of 5,600MW and known as "the Giant of the Middle East", the plant is the biggest in the region, Alstom added.

Source : arabianbusiness.com