ABB, the power and automation technology group, has won business from two Saudi projects, one of which will be supplied gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) for the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) and the other a GIS substation for Maaden Aluminium Company.

The $40 million order for the SEC project came from the Al Toukhi Group, a leading EPC company. ABB will supply 420 kV GIS equipment that will form an integral part of the New Muhayil West and Al Omran substations being built for SEC, the country’s national power transmission and distribution operator. The substations are scheduled to be energised in June 2014.

Al Omran, located in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia, is part of the Qurayyah Independent Power Project (IPP). New Muhayil, connected to the Shuqaiq and Namera North transmission network, is being constructed to meet the rapidly growing demand for electricity in the southwestern part of the country.

“The new substations where this GIS equipment will be installed will enhance power capacity and help meet growing electricity demand to support industrial development in the country” said Bernhard Jucker, head of ABB’s Power Products division.

An ABB transformer workshop in Sweden

Saudi Arabia accounts for around half of the total electricity consumption in the GCC region. Economic growth, led by the oil and gas sector, is driving development of the power infrastructure.

In line with its business philosophy to locate production and service facilities closer to its customers, ABB recently announced a $40 million investment for the construction of a new manufacturing plant for high-voltage GIS and a transformer service workshop in Saudi Arabia.

ABB pioneered high-voltage GIS in the mid-1960s and as a market leader continues to drive technology and innovation, offering a full-range product portfolio with voltage levels from 72.5 kV to 1,200 kV. The compactness, low-weight and robust design features enable the equipment to be deployed in constrained spaces and harsh conditions to enhance grid reliability and efficiency with minimum maintenance needs.

MAADEN ALUMINIUM ORDERS
ABB has won orders worth around $24 million from Maaden Aluminium Company (MAC) to execute a fast-track transmission substation project in the northeast of the country.

ABB will design, engineer and supply a new 380 kV outdoor GIS substation at the Ras Al Khair power plant that will export 800 MW of power from the plant to the national transmission grid and feed a new aluminium smelter. The project is scheduled for completion within 10 months.

“This substation will enhance power capacity and improve quality and reliability of supply for critical processes and sustained productivity at the new aluminium plant,” said Oleg Aleinikov, head of ABB’s substations business, a part of the company’s Power Systems division. “Our advanced technologies, project management capability and extensive experience are key factors when executing such fast-track projects.”

ABB’s scope of supply includes high-voltage outdoor gas-insulated switchgear, communication and auxiliary systems and IEC 61850 compliant substation automation, control and protection. These containerised systems will be factory assembled and pre-commissioned to speed up on site installation.

ABB is the world’s leading supplier of turnkey air-insulated, gas-insulated and hybrid substations with voltage levels up to 1,100 kV. These substations facilitate the efficient and reliable transmission and distribution of electricity with minimum environmental impact, serving utility, industry and commercial customers as well as sectors like railways, urban transportation and renewables.