The Saudi Electricity Company and the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company signed the awarding contracts of the electrical interconnection project between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
The contracts, which were signed simultaneously between Riyadh and Cairo, included contracts with three consortiums of international and local companies to implement the connection project, which has a capacity of 3,000 megawatts, with a 500 kV HVDC technology.
They consist of the construction of three high-voltage substations, the East Madinah Station, the Tabuk Station in the Kingdom, and the Badr Station in East Cairo, linked by overhead transmission lines with a length of about 1,350 km and marine cables in the Gulf of Aqaba with a length of 22 km,
The total cost of the project amounted to $1.8 billion.
The awarding contracts were signed by Khaled bin Hamad Al-Qunun, CEO of the Saudi Electricity Company, from the Saudi Arabia side, and from the Egypt side, Sabah Mohamed Mashali, chairperson and managing director of the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company.
The Projects was signed under the presence of Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz and Egyptian Electricity Minister Mohammed Shaker Al-Markabi.
Consortiums:
1. Overhead Transmission line (OHTL):
- National Contracting Company (NCC) Limited, Saudi Services for Electro Mechanic Works (SSEM), and Hyundai Construction and Engineering Company Ltd. signed contracts for the implementation of overhead lines in Saudi Arabia.
- China Electrical Engineering Company, the Chinese Xi’an Company and the Giza Cable Company signed contracts for the implementation of overhead lines on the Egyptian side.
2. HVDC Converter Stations:
Orascom Construction PLC announces in a statement that its consortium with Hitachi ABB Power Grids signed a contract today with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) to execute all work in Egypt to connect the national power grids of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
A separate consortium of Hitachi ABB Power Grids and Saudi Services for Electro Mechanic Works (SSEM) will execute the work in Saudi Arabia.
This unique project counts among the most advanced and complex HVDC (high-voltage direct current) projects of its kind worldwide and stands as the first inter-continent HVDC project in the world.
The project will allow both countries to exchange up to 3 GW at peak times, providing power supply to more than 20 million people using the latest technology to ensure maximum efficiency.
Furthermore, this large-scale HVDC interconnection allows both Egypt and Saudi Arabia to improve efficiency of the transmission grids and to exchange renewable energy, supporting a carbon-neutral future.
The Hitachi ABB Power Grids-Orascom Construction consortium will build the HVDC converter station in northeast Cairo and the transition station in Taba, Sinai. Operation for the first stage of the project is scheduled to start in late 2024 with a capacity of 1.5 GW, and the balance of the capacity in mid-2025.
Orascom Construction continues to be the partner of choice for multinational players in the EPC power sector. The Group has also made a tangible mark on the development of Egypt’s power sector in recent years, adding over 12.5 GW since 2015.
3. Submarine Cables:
Prysmian Group signed the contract for a ±500kV HVDC submarine and land cable system to create an interconnection between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. (read more)
