Saudi Arabia and Egypt signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 1 June for a SR6bn ($1.6bn) link between the two countries’ power transmission grids. Linking the two networks was proposed in 2010, but planning was delayed by political turmoil in Egypt. Once a final agreement has been reached, construction is expected to take 24-30 months. The link would comprise 1,320km of twin 3gw capacity cables – 820km in Saudi Arabia and 480km in Egypt, with a 20km subsea section.
Saudi Minister of Water and Electricity ‘Abd Allah al-Husain told reporters that “establishing power sharing projects with neighboring countries is one of the best ways to ensure adequate supply of electricity, especially at peak times. Many countries in the Gulf and Arab world are looking at this project with deep interest as it could lead to linking 14 countries [including Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members] with a power grid in the near future.” Egypt is already linked to the Jordanian and Syrian networks. (CONTINUED - 527 WORDS)
