The Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) has received five offers from international consulting firms to perform the executive and consultative works of an Egyptian-Saudi electricity linkage project, a statement from Ministry of Electricity said. Minister of Electricity Ahmed Imam explained that the executive and consultative works include reviewing and renewing the project's manual for execution tenders and presentation of technical support during the period before and after the call of tenders. The Egyptian-Saudi electrical linkage project allows the two countries to share power during peak periods and to benefit from the discrepancy in peak consumption periods between the two countries. The combined capacity of the electrical grid during peak periods will be increased to 3,000 megawatts. Imam stated earlier that there is already an agreement to sign the commercial and operational contracts of the project. The project is expected to be finished in 2016; however, the operating tests will proceed in 2015. The Saudi Electricity Company and the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company are responsible for financing, operating and repairing the connectivity equipment in their territories, Imam said. However, the responsibility of financing, operating and maintenance of the submarine cables needed to connect the electricity, which will cross the Gulf of Aqaba, would be shared equally between the two countries. Saudi Arabia and Egypt signed in June a $1.6bn deal to connect their electricity grids. The project was said to enhance domestic industry and offer indirect employment opportunities in both countries. The project consists of five packages where the first entails establishing two power stations in Badr City, as well as a switch station for linking the antenna line with the marine cable in the Egyptian Nabq City. The second package includes two generator power stations in East of Saudi's Al-Madina and Tabouk, adding to it a switch station for the antenna lines and marine cable links in Saudi territory. The antenna line, with a length of 450 km starting from Badr City power stations to Nabq City's switch station, is the third package. The fourth package is an antenna line with a length of 850 km from switch station to East of Al-Madina power station passing by the Tabouk station. The fifth package includes linking the two states switch stations using ground cables in Egyptian and Saudi lands and a marine cable of 500 kV through Al-Aqaba Gulf for a distance of nearly 16 km.
