ABB has won orders worth over $60 million for substations that will boost transmission capacity and supply electricity to the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). The order was booked in the fourth quarter of 2013.
With a total development area of 173 square kilometers, KAEC is located along the coast of the Red Sea, around 100 km north of Jeddah, the commercial hub of the country, and approximately an hour from the holy city of Islam, Mecca. The initiative is part of an ambitious program to make Saudi Arabia one the world’s top ten investment destinations by bringing in foreign capital to help diversify its predominantly oil-based economy. KAEC is also expected to create up to one million jobs for the youthful population of the country.
“The need to build up reliable and efficient power infrastructure in the Middle East is an important growth driver for ABB. We have a proven track record in Saudi Arabia and are pleased to continue supporting the development of the country’s power network,” said ABB Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Spiesshofer. “These substations will strengthen the transmission grid and boost power supplies to support economic growth.”
ABB has been entrusted by the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) to design, supply, install and commission an expansion of the 380 kV (kilovolt) Haramain high-speed railway (HHR3) substation, which supplies electricity to KAEC at 110 kV.
ABB’s compact gas-insulated 380 kV (kilovolt) switchgear (GIS) technology will ensure reliability and minimize the substation footprint. Other key product supplies include control and protection equipment, auxiliary systems and substation automation equipment compliant with the international IEC61850 standard to enable monitoring and control of the substations from a remote control center.
Substations are key installations in the power grid that transform voltage levels and facilitate the reliable and efficient transmission and distribution of electricity. They include equipment that protects and controls the flow of electrical power. ABB is the world’s leading supplier of air- and gas-insulated substations, with more than 10,000 installations worldwide covering a range of voltage levels up to 1,100 kV and serving utility, industry and commercial customers as well as sectors like railways, urban transportation and renewables.
