What companies implementing electrical linkage project between Egypt, Saudi Arabia?

CAIRO – 5 October 2021: Egypt and Saudi Arabia announced Tuesday signing the contracts of the electrical interconnection project between both countries, including 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.

Egypt Today reviews the companies involved in constructing the project.

The Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company has contracted with the Hitachi ABB Power Grids and Orascom Constructions consortium to implement two transformer stations in Egypt.

Moreover, the Saudi Electricity Transmission Company also contracted with the Hitachi ABB Power Grids and Saudi Electrical and Mechanical Services consortium to implement a transformer station on Saudi lands “Tabuk - Madinah- Badr.”

As for the implementation of overhead lines on Saudi lands, a contract was made with the National Contracting Company Ltd., and as for the lines to be implemented in Egypt, a contract was signed with the China Power Engineering Alliance - Giza Cables Industry - Xi'an Electrical Engineering.

With regard to the aerial connection in Madinah city in Saudi Arabia, a contract was signed with Hyundai for Construction and Engineering Works.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia for Electrical and Mechanical Works implements the aerial link “Tabuk-Madinah”.

In addition, a contract was signed with the Italian Prysman Group to implement the submarine cable for the electrical connection project between Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The electrical interconnection project between Egypt and Saudi Arabia aims to exchange electrical capacities amounting to 3,000 megawatts, and it is scheduled to be operational in 2024.

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 meters and marine cables in the Gulf of Aqaba with a length of 22 km, at a total cost of the project of $1.8 billion.

The project will achieve a number of common benefits for the two countries, including enhancing the reliability of the national electrical networks, supporting their stability, and benefiting from the generation capacities available in them and the timing differences in their peak electrical loads.

The line will enable the two countries to achieve the ambitious goals of entering renewable energy sources within the electricity production mix, activating the commercial exchange of electric energy and allowing the use of the optical fiber line accompanying the electrical interconnection line in strengthening communication networks and transferring information between the two countries, the Arab countries and their neighboring countries, which will increase the economic return of the project .