GE secures grid substation deal for Saudi desalination plant

GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions business secured a contract by ACCIONA to supply designing, manufacturing, construction and commissioning solutions in Shuqaiq in Saudi Arabia, it said in a statement.

The desalination plant, which will provide fresh water for over 1.8 million people, is expected to be completed in 2021.

Through this deal, GE will provide a 380/132 kilovolt (kV) GIS substation, including power transformers, grid automation and telecommunication systems that will complete the electricity connection in the Shuqaiq area, providing power to the new desalination plant loads.

“With a vision as ambitious and all-encompassing as that in Saudi Arabia, there is the need to ensure a sustainable approach to the development of major projects associated with it, one which merges the necessary technology with critical local expertise,” Mohammed Mohaisen, President and CEO, GE’s Grid Solutions business in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, said.

The Shuqaiq 3 project is being developed by ACCIONA-led consortium, which includes Marubeni, Abdul Latif Jameel Commercial Development Co., and Rawafid Alhadarah Holding Company.