The ETA Ascon and Star Group, among the frontrunners in the field of power and water projects, announced plans to expand operations in the Middle East to meet rising power requirements in the region.
Speaking at the 15th GCC Cigre Seminar and 11th Exhibition for Electrical Equipment in Abu Dhabi, ETA Ascon director Hameed Salahuddin said the company planned to expand in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iran and the UAE, and was also looking to tap non-oil sources of energy in the region.
Citing a report from the World Energy Council, Salahuddin said the GCC would require at least 100,000 MW of additional power over the next 10 years to meet the demands of a growing population.
“As frontrunners in the field of power and water projects, the ETA Ascon and Star Group is poised for this big leap forward,” he said.
“Our diverse range of operations under a single umbrella gives ETA the unique advantage of providing a comprehensive package of project works and services at competitive costs while adhering to stringent standards of safety and quality.”
The $3.5 billion conglomerate, which currently employs more than 48,000 employees in the GCC, is involved in a wide array of sectors such as power projects and desalination, oil and gas, power control systems and switchgears, mechanical and electrical contracting, escalator engineering and civil engineering, construction and property development, shipping and trading, cement manufacture, facilities management, retail and healthcare.
Salahuddin also cited recent statistics from the Saudi Arabia-based Arab Petroleum Investment Corporation (Apicorp) that indicate the Gulf would have to invest $345 billion between 2007 and 2011 to augment power supply in the region.
“The report notes that higher net savings, greater liquidity in the capital market and the prospect of sustained growth and revenues have induced project sponsors to seek larger scale as a means of reducing per-unit costs and greater scope in order to add more value to their business process,” he said. “ETA’s leadership factored in for such trends well before they set in.”
The ETA Power Projects Division, an EPC contractor in the field of extra high voltage (EHV) transmission, distribution, power generation and desalination projects, has designed, procured and installed several projects in the areas of EHV substations, power distribution, overhead transmission lines up to 400 kV and desalination projects with R/O and MED technology.
It has completed two 100 MW power generation projects in partnership with GE for the Federal Electricity and Water Authority.
Also in the UAE, an ETA-PPD consortium with Siemens is executing an 800 MW power plant at Aweer for the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. It has completed 70 km of an overhead transmission line between Dhaid and the H station.
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Transmission and Despatch Company (Transco) awarded a prestigious contract involving supply, installation, testing and commissioning of 150 km of 220 kV cables to ETA for a total value of Dh321.8 million and a completion period of 36 months. The work involves replacement of 220 kV overhead lines with 220 kV underground cables.
