Saudi-Egypt power grid link to complete in Dec 2018: official

Egypt is expected to complete a project aimed at linking its power grids with Saudi Arabia at the end of December 2018, generating about 3,000 megawatts of power, an official in the Egyptian Electricity Ministry said Tuesday.

Ahmed Mehanna, undersecretary of Egypt’s Ministry of Electricity, told Amwal Al Ghad that Egypt is carrying out another project to link its electricity grids with Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria to generate 450 megawatts, and with Libya with 160 megawatts.

In 2013, Saudi Arabia and Egypt signed a 6 billion-riyal ($1.6 billion) agreement to link their electricity grids, a project that will allow power trading between the two countries. It will help exchange energy between the two countries in peak hours, to a maximum of 3,000 megawatts, as well as help them export surpluses in electricity.

Electricity consumption in Egypt usually surges during the summer, exacerbated both by the hot weather and the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which this year will fall on May 27.

Gulf countries have similar patterns of consumption, and see demand peak in the summer. They have taken measures to connect their grids in an effort to stave off shortages.