An Egyptian official unveiled details about the contracts signed between Egypt and Saudi Arabia to implement an electrical interconnection project, describing it as the "foundation for joint Arab connectivity." Sabah Mashali, head of the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company, stated that "the contracts signed simultaneously between Riyadh and Cairo are with three alliances of global and local companies to execute the project, which has a capacity of 3000 megawatts using the HVDC technology at a voltage of 500 kilovolts." The project involves the construction of three high-voltage converter stations: one in East Medina and one in Tabuk in the Kingdom, and another in Badr East of Cairo, connected by overhead transmission lines totaling 1,350 meters and 22 kilometers of underwater cables in the Gulf of Aqaba, with a total project cost of $1.8 billion, with the Egyptian side bearing 8 billion Egyptian pounds.
Mashali indicated that "the contracts were signed by Engineer Khaled bin Hamad Al-Qanoun, the acting CEO of the Saudi Electric Company, and Engineer Sabah Mohammed Mashali, the chairperson and managing director of the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company." Regarding the benefits of this project, the head of the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company confirmed that once operational, it would provide "a number of mutual benefits for the two countries, including enhancing the reliability of national electrical networks and supporting their stability, optimizing the use of available generation capacities, and taking advantage of timing differences in peak electrical loads."
It will also enable both countries to achieve ambitious goals for integrating renewable energy sources into the optimal electricity production mix, facilitate commercial exchange of electricity, and allow for the use of the accompanying fiber-optic line to enhance communication networks and transfer information between the two countries and neighboring Arab states, which will increase the economic yield of the project.
Mashali described the electrical interconnection project between her country and Saudi Arabia as the "foundation for joint Arab connectivity." She emphasized in a statement to the newspaper "Youm7" that "the electrical interconnection project between Egypt and Saudi Arabia meets the economic and social objectives of all Arab nations, as the linkage will serve as the foundation for joint Arab connectivity, supplementing and supporting the visions of both countries for 2030." Mashali further explained that "the signing of final contracts for the electrical interconnection project represents a strong linkage between the largest electricity networks in the region, which will reflect on the stability and increased reliability of electricity supply between the two countries, in addition to the economic and developmental returns from exchanging up to 3000 megawatts of electricity."
