JEDDAH – Swiss engineering group ABB said Wednesday it has won an order worth around $115 million from Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) to improve the reliability of the transmission grid that feeds major Saudi railway interconnections. “This solution will help strengthen the transmission grid and enhance reliability of power supply to important rail links being developed in Saudi Arabia,” ABB said in a statement. ABB said the Saudi order was the biggest it had received to date for its flexible alternating current transmission system (FACTS). The order was booked in the third quarter, ABB said. In a separate development, Saudi industrial Property Authority (MODON) has agreed a $40 million deal with ABB for the construction of a new industrial facility in Dammam. The factory, the first of its kind in the region, will be used to manufacture gas insulated switchgear and maintain electrical transformers. The project will see the facility built on a 40,000 square meter plot, and will create over 300 jobs when opened in the middle of next year. The scheme also includes a new ground power unit (GPU) production unit, aimed at meeting the rising demand for supporting a reliable electricity network in the region. The firms say that GCC customers will benefits from faster delivery, together with after-sales service focused on the region's needs. – SG
