The power product will facilitate the supply of electricity to a new desalination facility and support the grid integration of a new 2.5GW power plant in the kingdom.
Switzerland-based ABB has received this order from the Saudi Arabian company Al Fanar Group. The new facilities are being developed by the government agency, Saline Water Conversion Corp.
ABB High Voltage products business head Giandomenico Rivetti said, "These new plants where ABB’s highly reliable GIS equipment is being installed, will help address the country’s increasing need for potable water and also support the growing demand for electricity."
Slated to be commissioned in June 2014, the desalination plant is located in Yanbu Industrial City, a major port on the Red Sea in the Al Madinah province. The facility will produce 550,000 cubic meters of desalinated water per day.
Earlier, ABB announced a $40m investment for setting up a new manufacturing plant for high-voltage GIS and build a transformer service workshop in Saudi Arabia.
The GIS helps protect electrical grids and associated equipment, in addition to facilitating switching operations, the company said.
