ABB, a leading power and automation technology group, has won a second order from Saudi Arabia’s Najran University, worth $40 million, to build a substation to ensure reliable power supplies for the university’s new complex. This deal, booked in the first quarter of this year, brings its tally of orders from the university in the past six months to $93 million.

Under the latest order, the company will design, supply, install and commission a 380-kV substation capable of distributing power at 132 kV and 13.8 kV. Key products to be supplied include gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), transformers, medium-voltage switchgear and cables.

“This substation will provide the power required for Najran University’s long-term development,” says Peter Leupp, head of ABB’s Power Systems division. “ABB’s compact substation technology will be deployed to ensure that the facility has the smallest possible footprint.”

This order follows an earlier $53 million deal booked in the fourth quarter of 2010 for the university, which is among Saudi Arabia’s biggest educational institutions. The turnkey order includes civil works and auxiliary systems as well as GIS, transformers, protection equipment and substation automation.

Substations are key installations in the power grid that facilitate the efficient transmission and distribution of electricity. They include equipment that protect and control the flow of electrical power.

The university is located in Najran in southern Saudi Arabia, and will have two campuses with a total of 45,000 students. Founded in 2006, it is the country’s largest university covering an area of 18 million sq m and housing a medical city, research centre, sports and entertainment arenas and housing accommodation for faculty, staff and students.

Apart from the Najran University orders, ABB has also secured two orders worth a total of $132 million from Saudi Electricity Company, Saudi Arabia’s national power transmission and distribution operator. The orders were booked in the fourth quarter of last year.

Under a $93-million deal, ABB will design, supply, install and commission six 110/13.8 kV substations, which are scheduled for completion in 2012. It will also deliver other major equipment including GIS, medium-voltage products, transformers as well as network protection and low-voltage auxiliary systems.

Each of the substations will be equipped with the latest IEC 61850-compliant automation, control and protection solutions. IEC 61850 is an international communications standard that ensures interoperability and open communications between substation devices and other grid installations.

“These substations will enhance power capacity and help meet growing demand for electricity in the region,” says Leupp. “They will also enhance the reliability and efficiency of the grid.”

The second deal from SEC, worth $39 million, involves improving the efficiency of power transmission and distribution in the country’s Eastern Province.

ABB will design, engineer, supply, install and commission equipment including 13.8 kV capacitor banks for the existing substation infrastructure in 40 locations, which will help significantly reduce electricity losses and improve the stability and quality of power supply. These technologies will improve the network’s power factor, which is an indicator of the usable power available in the grid. The fast-track project is scheduled for completion by mid-2011.

“Capacitor banks will improve the efficiency and reliability of the power network and support the region’s growing need for power,” Leupp says. “ABB has executed similar orders and successfully commissioned several substations in the region. We are pleased to support SEC once again, in its efforts to build and strengthen the country’s power infrastructure.”

A capacitor is a multi-purpose device that can store an electrical charge in the form of an electric field. It is used to help stabilise power systems and make them more efficient.

ABB is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. It also supplies air- and gas-insulated substations, with more than 10,000 installations worldwide, covering a range of voltage levels up to 1,100 kV. The ABB group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 124,000 people.