The Gulf Sriracha Power Plant, a joint venture between Thai Independent Power Provider Gulf Energy Development Company Limited and Japanese trading company Mitsui & Co., Ltd, and developed by Mitsubishi Power, has won the distinguished “Power Plant of the Year” title at the Power and Energy Awards. The recognition underscores the plant’s efficacy in meeting Thailand’s rising energy demand and highlights its commitment to decarbonization and advancement in the nation’s energy transition.

Situated in Thailand’s Chonburi province, the 2,650 megawatts (MW) gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) power plant broke ground in 2018. It is home to Mitsubishi Power’s first J-Series Air-Cooled (JAC) gas turbine installed in Southeast Asia, which provides a world-leading power generating efficiency of 64%. These industry-leading gas turbines translate into significant fuel savings and carbon emission reduction and exceeded 46,000 Actual Operating Hours (AOH) with high reliability.

To complete the project on-schedule, Mitsubishi Power worked with the plant owners as one team to maintain safety in site operations and implement efficient measures like rescheduling work sequence and remote supervision for installation and commissioning. This ensured that all gas turbines were successfully installed, following the start of commercial operations of all 4 units by October 2022 as scheduled.
Akihiro Ondo, Managing Director and CEO, Mitsubishi Power Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd, said: “This recognition at the Power and Energy Awards further demonstrates the exceptional achievements of the Gulf Sriracha Power Plant. We are honored to work on the development of this exceptional plant, made possible with the trust of Gulf Energy Development and Mitsui & Co. Mitsubishi Power remains deeply committed to the completion of the final units in the Rayong Province GTCC plant, supported by ongoing enhancements through testing and verification at our grid-connected T-Point 2 facility, and strong after sales services.”

Presented during the annual Enlit Asia 2023 premier energy conference and exhibition, the award recognizes outstanding power plant projects that exhibit successful project completion and the incorporation of innovative power generation technologies. It is conferred by a distinguished panel of 34 judges comprising professionals, experts, and academics.

The Gulf Sriracha Power Plant is one of two 2,650 MW GTCC power plants that Mitsubishi Power is developing as part of a full-turnkey engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) order owned by Gulf Group and Mitsui & Co. Ltd. – the second GTCC plant in Rayong Province has seen completion in installation of two in four M701JAC units, which stared commercial operation from March 2023 for its 1^st unit and October 2023 for its 2^nd unit respectively. In conjunction with the EPC contract, a 25-year power purchase agreement with EGAT and a 25-year Long Term Service Agreement with Mitsubishi Power have been established to ensure the plant continues to meet Thailand’s growing energy needs at peak performance throughout its lifespan.

Mitsubishi Power and Gulf Energy Development have a strong history of collaboration, marked by the successful completion of earlier projects. In 2011, Mitsubishi Power received orders supported by Gulf Energy Development for GTCC plants at Nong Saeng and U Thai. These plants, operational by 2014 and 2015, demonstrated excellence, contributing significantly to the partnership on the Gulf Sriracha Power Plant.