Egypt is going through a period of tremendous growth and economic diversification that is being fueled by new power supply for industrial, manufacturing and commercial development. However, building power plants is only the first step in connecting new electricity to the grid. It's equally important to expand the transmission and distribution infrastructure required to carry all that new electricity.
GE Grid Solutions is supporting this effort with a recently announced deal with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) to provide GE's advanced gas-insulated switchgear technology to four substations. These substations will help connect 7 gigawatts (GW) of power to the national grid, which are enough to meet the needs of more than 6.5 million homes across Egypt. As Egypt approaches the hot summer months and the Holy month of Ramadan, this is a crucial project to reinforce Egypt's network during periods of peak demand.
Additionally, a Protocol of Cooperation was signed by GE and EETC yesterday during the visit of France's President's to Egypt, highlighting the importance of this project to Egypt's energy sector. The signing was witnessed by His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and His Excellency President François Hollande, among other agreements between the two countries to further support Egypt's economic, industrial and infrastructural development.
"Egypt's generation capacity has significantly increased over the last two years; additionally, we're moving towards a more diversified energy mix that drives us to find ways to boost the efficiency and stability of Egypt's national grid," said H.E. Dr. Mohamed Shaker, Egypt's Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy. "Through GE's advanced technological solutions, we will be able to better manage and transmit power nationwide.
As part of the contract, GE also will supply a digital data protection system, network management system and telecommunication technologies that will help connect the substations to the National Energy Control Center and improve the network's stability. The installation of GE's GIS will offer several solutions for Egypt's grid, including smarter networks, condition-based maintenance and greater load control to prevent outages.
French components make up approximately 50% of the total project scope including the GIS technologies to be installed at the substations which are manufactured and assembled in France.
The project is being executed in a consortium with Rowad Modern Engineering for the construction work of the substations. The project will create approximately 50 permanent jobs and 1,000 indirect jobs for Egyptians during its execution.
The substations – which play a critical role in safely and efficiently moving electricity through the grid from power plant to consumer – are located in Mostathmereen, Beni Suef Industrial, Ismailia East and Temay Alemdeed. The first phase, which includes the Mostathmereen substation, will be connected to the grid within six months; the remaining three substations will be completed by the end of 2017.
GE supports its customers in Egypt across the entire energy value chain – from producing oil and gas in the field to power generation, to transmission and distribution of electricity to consumers in homes, factories, industrial plants, hospitals, schools and offices.
GE has been a partner to Egypt's development – working with the government and private sector companies in power, oil and gas, transportation, aviation and healthcare – for more than 40 years.
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