The Saudi Electric Company (SEC) and the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Corporation (EETC) have awarded a four-year contract to SNC-Lavalin to manage and supervise the design and execution of the Saudi-Egypt power grids project, a proposed 1,300 km long power interconnection between Cairo (Egypt), Tabuk (Saudi Arabia) and Madinah (Saudi Arabia). The US$1.8bn high voltage direct current (HVDC) is expected to enable the exchange of up to 3 GW of electricity at peak times. In October 2021, the project developers awarded a €221m (US$240m) contract to Prysmian Group for a ±500 kV HVDC submarine and land cable system that would connect the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries with the African continent. The delivery and commissioning of the project are scheduled for 2024.