On Behalf of

Business & Finance Club - Industry - Riyadh: Power and automation technology group, ABB has won an order worth $108m from the Saudi Electricity Company, Saudi Arabia’s national power transmission and distribution provider, to construct six new substations.

The order was booked in the first quarter, 2010, the company revealed in press statement on Thursday.

Four of the substations, rated at 115/13.8 kV (kilovolt), will be located in Saudi Arabia’s eastern region, in Dammam and Al-Hassa. The other two substations, rated at 110/13.8 kV, will be built in the country’s western region, in Jeddah and Mecca, the company added.

“These substations will enhance the capacity of the region’s power transmission and distribution systems and help to meet growing demand for power,” said Peter Leupp, head of ABB’s Power Systems division. “They will also help strengthen grid reliability and improve the efficiency of the regional grid.”

As part of the turnkey contract, ABB will be responsible for the design, supply, installation and commissioning of the substations, which are scheduled for completion by 2012.

Substations are key installations in the power grid that facilitate the efficient transmission and distribution of electricity. They include equipment that protects and controls the flow of electrical power.

Under the terms of the contract, ABB will provide gas-insulated switchgear, transformers, medium-voltage switchgear, low-voltage auxiliary systems and the network protection systems, ABB said.

The company will also equip the substations with automation, control and communication solutions making them fully compliant with the global IEC 61850 standard.

ABB is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 117,000 people.