Alstom wins SEC's 47 million-euro turnkey contract

18/11/2014 06:31 AST

Alstom Grid has been awarded a 47 million-euro turnkey contract by Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) to supply Flexible AC Transmission Systems in Saudi Arabia.

Alstom will supply a static VAr compensator (SVC) to the Jeddah substation, situated on the coast of the Red Sea in western Saudi Arabia and two capacitor banks to the Wadi Jaleel substation in Makkah, located about 200 km from the city of Jeddah.

The SVC (-150 / + 300 MVAr at 110 kV) will substantially improve and increase power transmission stability and quality across Saudi Arabia's power transmission network. The project is expected to be completed by 2016.

The static VAr compensator system, which will utilize the new Alstom patented SVC configuration (with blocking reactor) to improve technical performance, will provide fast voltage support at substations, stabilizing power supply and strengthening the transmission grid; power will be fed to major areas across Makkah and Jeddah.

Additionally, Alstom will supply two 100 MVAr capacitor banks to the Wadi Jaleel substation in Makkah, and extend an existing gas-insulated substation at Jeddah North 380 kV bulk supply plant (BSP). Equipment will be manufactured in Alstom units in Tampere (Finland) and Riyadh.

Patrick Plas, SVP, grid power electronics and automation at Alstom Grid, said: "Saudi Arabia is one of the most significant and demanding market areas for power compensation systems. This contract strengthens our position as one of the world leading suppliers for FACTS technology and is a proof of the competitiveness gained with our innovative technology."

Jean Marc Coupet, unit MD in Saudi Arabia, said: "This contract strengthens our position as one of the world's leading suppliers for FACTS technology. SEC continues to launch new projects that modernize and sustain power supply and distribution in the Kingdom. Alstom is proud to be part of these big projects."

Arab News