Saudi utility sets September deadline for Jordan link
11 August 2022
Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has extended the tender closing date for the contract to build an electricity interconnection network between Saudi Arabia and Jordan by another two months to 29 September.
At least three teams are understood to have been qualified to bid for the contract.
SEC issued the request for proposals for the contract in February with an initial 1 March submission date, which was extended to the end of May and more recently end-July.
The project’s scope, which covers the Saudi segment of the interconnection line, includes the construction of a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) converter station, a 400 kilovolt (kV) gas-insulated switchgear substation and a 400kV overhead transmission line.
It is understood the link will enable the daily exchange of 500MW of electricity between the two countries in its initial stage. This is expected to increase to 1,000MW in a later phase.
Cooperation deal
MEED reported in March that the Saudi cabinet had approved a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the energy ministers of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, leading to an electricity cooperation agreement. The ministers signed the MoU in August 2020.
Under the agreement, SEC and Jordan's National Electric Power Company will prepare and implement the detailed project agreements within the MoU framework.
Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Abdul Aziz bin Salman said at the time that the project would “enhance the regional market for electricity trade”.
The planned interconnection of the two countries’ electricity grids follows a similar project being planned between Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the GCC Interconnection link.
In December, Saudi Arabia and Egypt awarded $1.8bn-worth of contracts to build an HVDC network that will enable the daily exchange of up to 3,000MW of electricity between the two countries.
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Siemens Energy wins $1.6bn Saudi deal
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Chinese engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor Harbin Electric International has awarded Germany’s Siemens Energy a contract to supply combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) units for the Rumah 2 and Nairiyah 2 independent power projects (IPPs) in Saudi Arabia.
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Commentary
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EditorRead the March MEED Business Review
It is difficult to fathom the scale of growth experienced by China’s construction sector over the past 20 years. Since 2004, it has grown by over 800%, with a compound annual growth rate of 11% to reach an estimated value of $4.5tn.
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