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Switzerland-headquartered Hitachi Energy has signed agreements to supply three high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems to Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) and ENOWA, the utility company for the NEOM giga project.
The three HVDC links will have a total power capacity of up to 9 gigawatts (GW), NEOM said in a statement.
Under the agreements, SEC (appointed by ENOWA as its engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) partner in 2022) awarded the consortium of Hitachi Energy and Saudi Services for Electro-Mechanical Works (SSEM) a contract to provide a 3 GW, 525 kilovolt (kV) HVDC light transmission system connecting Oxagon, NEOM’s industrial hub, with the larger Yanbu area more than 650 kilometres away in Western Saudi Arabia.
Hitachi Energy’s scope of supply includes design, engineering, procurement of HVDC technology and commissioning of the HVDC Light converter stations.
Moreover, Hitachi Energy and ENOWA signed an early works and capacity reservation agreement for two additional HVDC projects; each rated up to 3 GW.
The cooperation will also explore opportunities to develop local competencies in the Kingdom, including ways to sustainably assemble the necessary HVDC Light components locally.
Formed in 2022, ENOWA is the principal shareholder in the world’s largest green hydrogen production plant set to be commissioned in 2026 and will enable NEOM to be a global green hydrogen hub.
NEOM will be powered by 100 percent clean energy through renewable solar, wind and green hydrogen-based energy.
(Writing by D Madhura; Editing by Anoop Menon)
