Egypt and Saudi Arabia have finally inked a long-awaited agreement to connect the electricity grids of the two countries.
The $1.8Billion 500kV high voltage direct current HVDC line will have a capacity of 3GW and is planned for completion by 2025.
It will link a converter station at Badr, northeast of Cairo with ones at Tabuk and Medina in Saudi Arabia.
The project will involve the construction of approximately 1,350 kilometres of overhead transmission cables and 22 kilometres of subsea cables in the Gulf of Aqaba.
Japan’s Hitachi ABB Power Grids will partner private Egyptian construction firm Orascom on the Egyptian side and Saudi Services for Electro-Mechanic (SSEM) on the Saudi side.
