Egypt-Saudi electricity interconnection project

A consortium led by Hitachi ABB Power Grids has been awarded a contract for the construction of an electricity interconnection, by a venture led by the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company and the Saudi Electricity Company. The interconnection will allow Saudi Arabia and Egypt to exchange up to 3,000 MW of power.

 

Linking the power grids of the two countries and hence the interconnected power grids of the Arabian Gulf with those of North Africa, will support grid resilience and decarbonisation objectives as a large part of the exchanged electricity in the future will likely be from renewable sources. Saudi Arabia aims to increase the share of natural gas and renewable energy sources in electricity production to about 50% by 2030, while Egypt targets 42% of electricity generation from renewables by 2035.

 

This is the first ever large-scale high-voltage direct current (HVDC) interconnection link in the Middle East and North Africa. It will carry power along a 1,350 km route (839 mile) using overhead power lines and a subsea cable across the Red Sea.

 

Some 1.5 GW of the project is due to start operations in late 2024 and the balance in mid-2025.

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