By Mohamed Farag
Three international companies will present their technical proposals to the Egyptian and Saudi Arabian ministries of electricity next month, in a bid to build three transformer stations to create an electrical interconnection project between the two countries.
Head of the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC), Ahmed Al-Hanafy, said that it was agreed with Saudi Arabia to issue a limited tender for the three stations to only three international companies; Siemens, Alstom, and ABB. Those three companies are considered the best in the world and have experience in overseeing similar projects.
Al-Hanafy added that the Ministry of Environment approved construction of the Nabq City transformer station, which is to be the main station in the project. A delegation from the ministries of electricity and environment will visit the region in the coming days to conclude the procedures required prior to beginning construction of the project.
He noted that the project will be carried out through a packages system, and consists of five packages. The first includes the building of two HVDC converter stations with 500 KV capacities in Badr city. It also calls for a station for linking the antenna line with the marine cable in Nabq City. The second package includes two generator power stations of 500 KV located east of Al-Madina and Tabouk, adding to it a switching station for the antenna lines and marine cable links in Saudi territory.
The third package consists of a 450 km antenna line starting from the Badr City power stations and running to Nabq City’s switching station, while the fourth package includes an 850 km antenna line from the switching station to east of Al-Madina power station, passing by the Tabouk station.
The fifth package links the switching stations of the two states using ground cables laid along Egyptian and Saudi territories, as well as a marine cable of 500 KV traveling through Al-Aqba Gulf, for a distance of nearly 16 km, Al-Hanafy added.
Of note, the head of the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company said the Egypt-Saudi Arabia electricity interconnection project will allow for the exchange of electric capacities of more than 3,000 MW during peak evening hours.
The project is scheduled to become active at the beginning of 2016.
