The first phase of the Egypt-Saudi Arabia electricity interconnection project is scheduled to begin operation in July 2025, Egyptian Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy Sabah Mashaly told reporters.
With a capacity of 1,500 megawatts, this project is expected to open up promising prospects for exporting electricity to Asia and Europe, the Asharq Business website reported, adding that it will expand interconnection with neighboring countries and help the nation address its ongoing electricity crisis.
Following the end of Eid al-Fitr holiday, Egypt has been implementing a power load reduction system, whereby electricity is cut off for up to three hours daily on a rotating basis between different areas, due to a gas shortage.
This measure has been met with public discontent.
The Egypt-Saudi Arabia electricity interconnection project dates back several years and culminated in an agreement in October 2021 with the winning companies in tenders issued by the electricity authorities in the two countries.
The project consists of the construction of three high-voltage conversion stations: one in East Madinah and one in Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, and the “Badr” station east of the Egyptian capital Cairo.
The stations are linked by overhead transmission lines with a length of about 1,350 kilometers and submarine cables in the Gulf of Aqaba spanning 22 kilometers.
