Grid expansion to support rapid growth and booming demand for power
Zurich, Switzerland, November 3, 2005 - ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, said today it has won a $170 million contract from Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation - Kahramaa - to expand Qatar's power transmission system to support the county's rapid growth and surging demand for power.
The contract's scope includes 12 substations and power cables for use in Qatar's Phase VI grid expansion project, a countrywide effort to increase power in newly developed as well as existing areas of high growth, where electricity demand is greatest.
"Power demand in Qatar and the entire gulf region is increasing rapidly, and we are pleased to support growth here with ABB's state-of-the-art power equipment and our broad knowledge of complex power systems," said Peter Smits, head of ABB’s Power Technologies division.
ABB said it won the contract mainly because of the reliability and safety of its equipment, and its ability to meet the short delivery times in a demanding project schedule. The Phase VI expansion is scheduled for completion by summer 2007. The order was booked in the third quarter of 2005.
Under the terms of the contract, ABB will carry out engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of the substations and associated 132 kilovolt and 66 kilovolt power cables. In total, ABB will add 127 kilometers of high-voltage power cables to Qatar’s power grid.
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 103,000 people.