Recent developments arising from ABB’s operations in Saudi Arabia indicate that the power and automation company continues to enjoy the trust of leading organisations.

The company won orders from the kingdom’s power transmission and distribution utility, Saudi Electricity Company, to improve the power efficiency of 28 distribution substations.

The contract value for ABB is $60 million. ABB technologies will improve the power factor, which is a measure of how efficiently power is being used.

­­“These solutions will enable the substations to operate more efficiently, thereby increasing the availability of electricity and improving power quality,” said Peter Leupp, head of ABB’s Power Systems division.

It will provide power factor correction for 19 substations rated 33/13.8 kV in the central, southern and northwestern provinces, and for nine 132/33 kV substations in and around the capital, Riyadh. Products to be supplied include capacitor banks, reactors, medium-voltage switchgear, protection and control equipment, and a Scada (supervisory control and data acquisition) system to help the utility manage the flow of power in the network.

Among ongoing projects is the upgrade of 15 substations in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern and Central provinces. The project is worth $63 million.

The substations are spread over an area of about 1,000 km, and cover a range of voltage levels from 13.8 kV to 230 kV. The project is scheduled for completion in 2011.

ABB recently won an order worth $95 million from SEC for substations to help strengthen the country’s distribution network. The company is providing turnkey solutions for five new substations to increase the capacity of the Saudi Arabian distribution grid and help meet the needs of the growing economy in the region. The projects are scheduled for completion in 2011.

ABB is responsible for the design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the 132 kV and 110 kV substations. Key components include gas-insulated switchgear, transformers, medium voltage switchgear, low voltage auxiliary systems and network protection and control as well as communication and Scada solutions.