Egypt-Saudi electricity interconnection completed on Egypt side: Esmat

Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Esmat announced the completion of the Egypt-Saudi electricity interconnection project on the Egyptian side.

Speaking at a seminar organized by the National Press Authority in Cairo today, Sept. 28, the minister said a small portion of the work and technical tests remain to be completed on the Saudi side.

According to data available with Argaam, the project aims to connect the electricity grids of Egypt and Saudi Arabia through a 1,300-kilometer (km) overhead transmission line, including 450 km in Egypt and 830 km in Saudi Arabia, as well as a 20-km submarine cable beneath the Gulf of Aqaba.

The project will enable the two grids to exchange electricity at a capacity starting at 1,500 megawatts (MW) and reaching 3,000 MW, leveraging the difference in peak demand timings, which occur during the day in Saudi Arabia and at night in Egypt.