Upgrading Burullus fishing port to boost Egypt’s power supply

A shorter and safer route to site enabled a much more efficient construction project

In 2016, Siemens, together with local partners, started construction of the Burullus power plant – one of three 4.8 gigawatt turnkey power plants in Egypt, each of them being the biggest combined cycle power operation in the world. The mega project also includes 12 wind parks with approximately 600 wind turbines. The entire project will boost Egypt's power generation by 50%. Upon completion, the power plants will supply 45 million Egyptians with electricity.  For the Burullus combined cycle power plant logistics, specialist DB Schenker and Mammoet joined their expertise to develop a unique concept for transport and installation of 248 heavy components, including gas turbines, steam turbines, generators, HRSG modules, condensers and transformers – all within a highly ambitious schedule. The construction of the Burullus power plant is a major logistical operation with oversized and heavy components and modules arriving from around the world. These could all be received at the port of Alexandria but transport by road to the construction site was virtually impossible with many roads and bridge crossings totally unsuited for the size and weight of the components. Mammoet together with DB Schenker and local Egyptian partner NOSCO proposed a different approach: upgrading the local Burullus fishing port which is located much closer to site. Turning a fishing port into a heavy lift terminal Mammoet and its partners upgraded the fishing port by reinforcing 125 meters of quayside and increasing ground bearing pressure from three to twenty tons per square meter to accommodate Mammoet equipment and their loads. Key in the upgrading was Mammoet’s Terminal Crane (MTC 15, 600 tons capacity), a crane with low ground bearing pressure which has been designed specifically to turn ports and quaysides into heavy lifting facilities swiftly. Other civil works included upgrading internal port roads, widening of the port gate, preparing 6,000 square meters of lay-down area and dredging of the port basin and navigation channel from 3 to 5.5 meters to allow for the draft of coaster vessels.  Route of cargo Components shipped from North Sea-, Mediterranean-, Black Sea- and US-ports now could be routed directly to Burullus fishing port. The HRSG-modules and condensers from the Far East, were shipped to Alexandria port, discharged and after custom clearance re-loaded into coaster vessels by Mammoet. From the fishing port, Mammoet efficiently transported the components to site and installed them at their foundation. By upgrading Burullus fishing port, and thanks to Mammoet specialized equipment, the project team was able to bypass all obstacles using a much safer and shorter route to site – meeting the ambitious schedule by significantly reducing the road transport time. The entire project is scheduled to be delivered this summer.