Recent developments at Wescosa, the acronym for Waha Electric Supply Company of Saudi Arabia, will help boost the company’s role in the electrical distribution equipment market mainly in Saudi Arabia but also in other Gulf states, the company says.

The developments relate to the introduction of a new grade of transformers and a line for a new model of safe switchgear.

Following a joint venture agreement signed between Wescosa and CG Power Systems of Belgium in October 2009, the two parties will build by Q3 of 2012 a facility in Dammam for manufacturing medium power transformers of up to 100 MVA and insulation up to 145 kV.

Wescosa is investing more than SR100 million ($26.6 million) in the transformer facility in line with its 'projection and its confidence in capturing new markets and widening the production line,' said a company spokesman. The new facility will have capacity to produce 4,500 medium power transformers annually. The company currently manufactures close to 11,000 transformers annually.

The other development at Wescosa is the introduction of arc-resistant switchgear designed to minimise harm to workers positioned near such a unit once an internal arc occurs. The company began producing arc-resistant switchgear in the third quarter of 2010 and has capacity to manufacture around 24 per day.

'As a manufacturer it is our social responsibility to secure the safety of engineers and technicians who work close to our switchgear,' said Mohsen Mubarak of the switchgear business unit. He added that Wescosa was a 'trend-setter.'

Wescosa has a wide array of electrical products ranging from power transformers with a maximum rating of 200 MVA at 36 kV to medium and low voltage switchgear. It also makes motor control centres and panelboards among a host of other products. The company has a technical collaboration with Pauwels, Belgium, for transformer products.

As well as the joint venture project for 100 MVA transformers, Wescosa is currently upgrading its steel centre factory.

Demand on the rise
Discussing business prospects, the Wescosa spokesman said: 'Demand is rising and with the lifting of the moratorium on Saudi Aramco projects we expect to meet more requirements for power transformers and switchgear. We have orders from the GCC region, especially from Kuwait and the UAE, and we are still working on our prequalification activities to have our products exposed to more end-users and to receive requests for quotations.

An important customer for Wescosa over the years has been the state utility, Saudi Electricity Company (SEC). Currently Wescosa is implementing transformer orders for a number of prominent parties including Bemco, Saudi Bin Ladin, NCC, Al Fanar and Al Toukhi.

Over the years, Wescosa has participated in a several significant projects. While being an active supplier for SEC in all regions of Saudi Arabia, it has shipped its products to Electricity Corporation, the Royal Commission, Saudi Aramco and a number of local civil contractors. The company has contributed to major projects including the Ras Tanura Refinery, Riyadh Refinery, Shaybah Producing Facilities and Sulayyil Bulk Plant.

The list of customers includes Hawiyah Gas Processing Facilities, Hawiyah Support and Maintenance Centre, Hawiyah Sulphur and Recovery Utilities and Hawiyah IAF plus Qatif facilities, Petrokemya, Dhahran Power Supply, SIPC Gas Supply, various Berry facilities, Yanbu Steam Power Plant and Sabic Technology.