Swiss power firm wins $17m Saudi order

ABB, the Swiss-based power technology group, has won an order worth about $17m from Hanwha Engineering & Construction Corp of Korea to extend an existing substation in Saudi Arabia.The project at Yanbu, a major Red Sea port in the Al Madinah province of western Saudi Arabia, involves the integration of additional power capacity from two new generation blocks.The Yanbu steam power plant is owned and operated by the regional power and water utility, Marafiq.The new blocks will generate an additional 500MW (megawatts) of electricity, raising the plant's total output to around 1,500 MW. The project is scheduled for completion by 2012, ABB said in a statement.ABB will design, supply, install and commission the extension of the existing 380/115 kilovolt (kV) substation."The extension of this substation will facilitate the efficient and reliable integration of additional power to help meet the growing demand for electricity from industrial and residential customers," said Oleg Aleinikov, head of ABB's substation business, a part of the company's Power Systems division."Our extensive experience in Saudi Arabia and knowledge of the power network, combined with our technology strengths will be key advantages in the execution of this project." From / Arabian Business News