Saudi Arabia's Ministers Council has authorised the kingdom's energy minister or his representative to sign the draft general agreement for establishing the Arab Common Market for Electricity. The electricity spot market is envisaged to cater to the six GCC states. The decision follows the launch of a number of electricity interconnection projects by the GCC Interconnection Authority and utility companies in several GCC states. Contracts were awarded this year for the construction of overhead transmission lines (OHTL) connecting the GCC grid to Iraq through Kuwait, and for a link between Iraq and Jordan. Other projects in the early stages include a second connection between Saudi Arabia and Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and the UAE and Oman. Beyond the GCC, a $1.8bn electricity link between Saudi Arabia and Egypt is under construction. The project will facilitate the exchange of 3,000MW of electricity between the two countries through OHTL as well as high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) subsea cables. Projects that will transmit electricity from North African states such as Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco to Greece, Italy or the UK are also being launched and revived. (ICE RIYADH)

Fonte notizia: meed