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12 Wire & Cable ASIA – March/April 2013
CESI Middle East has signed an agreement with the Saudi
Electricity Company (SEC) for assistance in relation to the
implementation of an 800km high voltage direct current (HVDC)
power transportation interconnector between Riyadh and
Mecca, covering the central and western regions in the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia.
The link will not only increase the power generation capacity of
local distribution networks, which frequently experience power
disturbances, power failures and outages, but also provide a
reliable back-up energy supply in the event of such emergencies.
A power carrying capacity of 3,000MW will result in increased
energy reserve margins for SEC to fulfil high-energy demands
with greater reliability. High-energy demands have increased in
the Kingdom due to the establishment of large-scale industrial
manufacturing plants.
HVDC systems experience less electricity loss over
long-distance transmission, and are considered to be more
reliable than the more commonly used alternative current
systems.
CESI Middle East – Dubai Website:
Saudi Arabia’s high power link
AfDB to finance electricity highway
The African Development Bank has agreed to finance a
multinational electricity highway between Ethiopia and Kenya
that will transfer power from hydroelectric facilities.
The US$115 million loan, granted to the government of Kenya,
will fund the construction of around 1,068km of high-voltage
direct current (HVDC) 500kV transmission line and associated
AC/DC converter stations at substations in Ethiopia and Kenya.
The HVDC line will have a power transfer capacity of up to
2,000MW and will be commissioned in November 2017.
Gabriel Negatu, AfDB’s East Africa regional director, said: “[The]
Energy Super Highway…will facilitate energy trading within the
East Africa region.
“It is also the first step to enabling affordable energy from the
region to be traded through the East Africa Power Pool, as far
north as Egypt and as far south as SADC [Southern African
Development Community] countries, by connecting with the
Southern Africa Power Pool.”
AfDB says the demand for electricity in East Africa has risen
steadily, relative to supply, leading to occasional severe power
shortages. Other projects currently being considered for
development in Ethiopia include the 6,800MW Grand Ethiopian
Renaissance Dam.
The integration of the power systems of the Eastern Africa
Power Pool will enable the development of Ethiopia’s large
hydropower resources to enable export and address power
shortages throughout the region.
Power Pools are cooperatives, working to establish a reliable
power grid for the region and a common market for electricity.
African Development Bank – Tunisia
Website: