Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Esmat announced that the Egypt-Saudi Electricity Interconnection Project has entered the final testing phase and is coordinating closely with the Saudi side to complete the pilot and start grid connection in the coming weeks.
The announcement was made during a site visit to a 500 kV high voltage direct current (HVDC) substation in Badr city. The facility is considered the first of its kind in the Middle East in terms of size, manufacturing technology and operational capabilities for cross-border power transmission.
Accompanied by senior officials from the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company, Mr. Esmat toured the control and operations center and reviewed the progress of equipment testing and overall system readiness before synchronizing the project with the integrated grid of both Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
The Minister assessed the status of operational trials of the Badr substation and Sakakin Taba 2 power plant, as well as the approximately 320 km long 500kV overhead transmission line connecting Badr and Taba 2. We also reviewed work related to submarine and underground cables, AC/DC supply systems, medium and low voltage connections, control panels, optical fiber networks (OPGW), and related infrastructure.
Esmat described the electricity interconnection project as an “energy bridge” that will strengthen strategic cooperation and promote economic integration. He stressed that the Egyptian-Saudi collaboration is an important step towards establishing a fully integrated regional power grid and, ultimately, a common Arab electricity market.
The project is expected to strengthen grid stability, improve service quality, increase reliance on renewable energy sources, and reduce fuel consumption through more efficient power generation and load management. It also takes advantage of differences in peak demand periods between the two countries, enabling more efficient use of generation capacity and more cost-effective grid operations.
The project, with a total switching capacity of 3,000 MW, will connect three major high-voltage converter stations – two in the eastern and northwestern parts of Saudi Arabia and one in the city of Badr, east of Cairo – via approximately 1,350 kilometers of overhead transmission lines and submarine cables across the Red Sea. This is widely seen as a strategic milestone towards connecting the power grids of Africa, Asia and Europe.
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