ABB has won an order worth around $100 million from Mass Global Holding to deliver a gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) substation.
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That will help integrate 3,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity generated by a combined cycle power plant, utilizing Iraq’s natural gas resources.
The government is rebuilding the country, investing in national housing programs and has ambitious plans for developing its power infrastructure to meet electricity needs. The order was booked in the fourth quarter of 2015.
ABB will be responsible for the design, engineering, supply, installation and commissioning of the transmission and distribution substation excluding civil works.
This will be the largest 400/132 kilovolt (kV) substation in Iraq, equipped with state-of-the-art gas-insulated switchgear. ABB’s GIS technology will enhance operational reliability, efficiency and safety while minimizing substation footprint and maintenance requirements.
ABB will also deliver two 400/132 kV autotransformers to step down the voltage for distribution to, and advanced IEC 61850-compliant open automation, protection and telecommunication systems for local and remote control and monitoring of substation assets.
ABB also won an order to supply Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) which will be installed at a substation that will transmit power from Green Duba, the first integrated solar combined cycle (ISCC) power plant in Saudi Arabia.
Located in the country’s north-west, along the Red Sea coast, when operational in 2018, the energy generated from the plant will be equivalent to the annual power consumption of approximately 600,000 Saudi Arabian households. The order, worth around $26 million was booked in the fourth quarter of 2015.
The Green Duba power plant will deploy an innovative solution that integrates solar energy and combines with natural gas to produce up to 550 megawatts (MW) of electricity, of which 50 MW will be from solar. The adjoining substation will be constructed by SSEM-Initec Energia Consortium for the country’s leading power utility, National Grid, Saudi Arabia.
ABB will design, supply and commission a 420-kilovolt (kV) Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) for this substation, providing a compact solution with increased reliability and safety, while minimizing environmental impact.
ABB’s GIS has been enhancing electricity transmission in Saudi Arabia for almost four decades, and has been deployed extensively in the Gulf Grid project, which links the electricity networks of six Gulf states as well as the Haramain high-speed railway project that connects the pilgrimage cities of Mecca and Medina. ■
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