Eight companies have submitted bids for a 500 kV high voltage overhead transmission line (OHTL) project in Saudi Arabia. Bidders include Hyundai E&C (South Korea), National Contracting Company (Saudi Arabia), Saudi Services for Electro Mechanic Works (Saudi Arabia), Larsen & Toubro (India), National Petroleum Construction Company (United Arab Emirates), Aetcon (Saudi Arabia), a consortium of Al-Sharif Group and KEC (Saudi Arabia) and Alfanar (Saudi Arabia).
The 900 km-long OHTL, which will go through Medina and Tabuk on route to the Gulf of Aqaba is part of the US$1.6bn project (62.5% Saudi-funded) to connect the electricity grids of Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The interconnector will have a capacity of 3 GW. The two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the project in June 2013. Since then, the interconnector project has faced numerous delays in the tendering design phases. Commissioning is now scheduled in 2023.