National Grid SA entered a contract with GE) to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in meeting the growing demand for electricity by supplying four new electricity substations on a turnkey basis and upgrade four others, in the Southern Region. With a total capacity of 1,933 MVA, the substations will enable power delivery to up to 25,000 homes as well as different industries in the Southern Region, supporting the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 to deliver reliable and efficient power to foster all-round economic growth. Hisham Al Bahkali, GE's President & CEO for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, said: "Ensuring the delivery of reliable and efficient power is a key focus area of the Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to drive all-round economic growth. The contract for GE to provide four substations on a turnkey basis and to upgrade four other existing substations will help strengthen the electricity grid that serves the Southern Region of the Kingdom. It will not only deliver more electricity to more homes in the region but also support the focus on industrialization and economic diversification." Mohammed Mohaisen, President & CEO for GE Energy Connections' Grid Solutions business in the Middle East, North Africa & Turkey, added: "This is a milestone agreement as the substations delivered by GE will support SEC in providing reliable power to the homes and industries in the Baish region. Grid Solutions' technology is redefining the conventional approaches to building and upkeep of the grid through advanced products and services that enable more resilient, efficient and reliable power systems. From the power plant to the power consumer, our ability to optimize flexibility and efficiency of the power grid will contribute to boosting the grid infrastructure of the Kingdom." Abdulaziz Al Nasser, Engineering Department Manager – National Grid at SEC, said: "The introduction of four new substations and the upgrade of four others will significantly scale up the power delivery in the Southern Region. The advanced competencies that GE brings are an ideal fit to our requirements. By deploying the latest technologies in grid infrastructure, we are underlining our commitment to deliver reliable, uninterrupted and efficient power supply to our customers in the Kingdom." As part of the agreement, the four new substations that are delivered by Grid Solutions on a turnkey basis will include the engineering, design, civil work and supply of gas insulated switchgears (GIS), power transformers (PTR), and automation. The other four substations, also in the Southern Region, will be upgraded using the advanced technology solutions of GE. The scope also includes the integration of substation automation to SEC's regional control centers via SCADA system to ensure reliable power supply to customers in the region and to honor the requirements of Vision 2030. The new upgrades build on Saudi Electricity Company selecting GE as its solutions provider to drive a nationwide digital transformation of electricity in the Kingdom. Both entities are working to make SEC's power generation capabilities one of the world's most efficient and reliable, as it prepares to meet the anticipated 50% increase in electric energy needed by 2020. With a presence of over 80 years, three offices and seven facilities, Saudi Arabia accounts for the largest GE workforce in the Middle East with over 2,000 employees driving the Aviation, Healthcare, Oil & Gas, Energy and Transportation businesses. — SG
