SAUDI ARABIA and Egypt have signed contracts with three consortiums of international and local companies to connect the two nation’s power grids in a project worth $1.8 billion.

 The electric grid interconnection project between the two countries aims to exchange electrical capacities amounting to 3,000 megawatts (MW) with a 500 kV HVDC technology.

 The project consists 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 m and marine cables in the Gulf of Aqaba with a length of 22 km. It is scheduled to be operational in 2024.

 Saudi Electricity Transmission Company signed an agreement with Hitachi ABB Power Grids and Saudi Electrical and Mechanical Services consortium for setting up a transformer station in Tabuk, Madinah and Badr, while Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company sealed the deal with Hitachi ABB Power Grids and Orascom Constructions consortium to implement two transformer stations on the Egyptian side.

National Contracting Company has been signed up to install the overhead lines on Saudi side, while the China Power Engineering Alliance, Giza Cables Industry and Xi’an Electrical Engineering are responsible for the work on the Egypt side.

 With regard to the overhead connection in Madinah, a contract was signed with Hyundai for Construction and Engineering Works, it added.