CESI Middle East, a market leader in power systems technical consulting and testing, has signed a contract with the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) to develop detailed technical specifications for a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) power transmission interconnector between Riyadh and Mecca.

 

This SEC mandate marks CESI Middle East’s second project win in Saudi Arabia in less than one month. 

 

The new 800 km HDVC link will not only increase the power generation capacity of local networks but also provide a reliable back-up energy supply in such emergency situations, a statement said.

 

Matteo Codazzi, chief executive officer of CESI, said:  “We are honoured to support SEC on such an important project, which will significantly improve the reliability of energy transmission in the Kingdom’s central and western regions. CESI is proud of contributing to the success of projects like this, which will enable the dynamic country of Saudi Arabia to readily meet the future challenges of energy demand.  We see ourselves as a long-term player in the Middle East region with the vision of supporting the successful development of its economies.”

 

HVDC is a specific, technologically advanced power link that is primarily used for reliable long-distance electricity transmission. Because HVDC systems have low outage probability for long-distance transmission, they are considered to be more reliable than the more commonly used alternative current systems and are often less expensive as well, the statement said.

 

In addition, the link will allow multiple users to benefit from the newly created increased capacity and have a power carrying capacity of 3,000 MW or more, which will result in increased energy reserve margins for SEC to be able to fulfill high energy demands with greater reliability, it said.

 

CESI Middle East will be working in collaboration with Tractebel Engineering on this SEC project. - TradeArabia News Service