Orascom Trading has deployed key boom lifts and telehandlers from Genie, a unit of global lifting solutions specialist Terex Corporation, for the turnkey construction of the world's largest power plant project coming up in Egypt.

The list of lifting solution tools include Genie ZX-135/70 boom lifts, a mix of 10 Genie Z-80/60 booms, GS-4047 scissors lifts and GTH-4018 telehandlers, said a statement from Orascom Trading, the authorised Genie distributor in Egypt.

Marking another milestone that reflects its leadership in the infrastructure sector in Egypt and the Middle East, since 2015 Orascom Construction (OC) has been involved in the turn-key construction of two state-of-the-art combined cycle power plants in Egypt — both of which are the largest the world has ever seen.

The project is being built in a consortium by OC with Siemens. Each of the two power plants under construction by OC has a contract value of $2.24 billion and a power generation capacity of 4,800 MW.

Both operate on natural gas with light fuel as a backup to offer an affordable, reliable and sustainable energy mix for Egypt’s future.

The first phase of the project was officially inaugurated in the presence of Angela Merkel (Chancellor of Germany representing Siemens) this March. Construction of the second facility, located on the Mediterranean coast, north of Borolos Lake in Egypt’s Kafr El Sheikh Governorate, started this January.

To adapt to the challenges of safe work on these challenging jobsites, OC has used two Genie ZX-135/70 boom lifts, in addition to a mix of ten Genie Z-80/60 booms, GS-4047 scissors lifts and GTH-4018 telehandlers.

Based in Cairo, OTC offers the full range of Genie products, said a top official.
 
“Orascom Trading has been our group’s internal equipment provider for the past 20 years, and when it comes to leading brands they definitely know their business. It came as no surprise to us when they signed up as an authorised Genie distributor last November,” remarked Yasser El Saied, the equipment manager for Orascom Construction.

"Now that we have direct access to the wider range of Genie machines, we have had the opportunity to see their superior quality. Our operators have also been able to experience their ease of operation. We are now keen to lay our hands on as many as we can, and as far as the activity of Orascom Construction goes, that means big numbers," he stated.

Working to a tight 2018 delivery schedule, the large numbers of machines operating on the Borolos site means that the environment is extremely busy.

“We are impressed by the versatility and precision of the Genie ZX-135/70 booms which are proving irreplaceable for a wide range of the plant’s highest-reaching tasks," remarked El Saied.

"We are also using them to support jobsite supervisors monitoring the quality of work on going on steel and concrete structures, and to assist in the inspection of completed sections of the plant. Once the job is completed, we will be using them for maintenance duties on both sites," he added.

Ashraf Noshy, the sales equipment manager, Orascom Trading Company, said: "Unlike other similar machines by other brands, we have found that Genie booms are particularly easy and smooth to operate. This also applies to the Genie ZX-135/70 boom that operates without a jolt even when fully elevated. It is also fast to get to the desired height.”

“It’s highly smooth and precise positioning, as well as its ability to be driven at maximum 141 ft height are also key factors that help save time and make work easier. These benefits are much appreciated by our operators,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service