ABB has unveiled plans to spend US$40 million on building a new manufacturing plant for high-voltage gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) and a transformer service workshop in Dammam, Saudi Arabia
According to ABB, the switchgear plant will initially manufacture 132kV GIS, with higher ratings to follow, while the service centre will support the company's large installed base in the region.
The two new facilities will occupy 40,000 square metres of space and will be located in the city of Dammam in the eastern part of the country.
?Local manufacturing of our GIS range in Saudi Arabia and our transformer service facility will enable us to respond to our customers? needs more efficiently,? said Bernhard Jucker, head of ABB?s Power Products division.
?This decision is in line with ABB?s regional and ?in country for country? approach and business philosophy to locate production and service facilities closer to our customers.?
The economic growth experienced by Gulf countries, led by oil and natural gas revenues in the region, has highlighted the need for power infrastructure to secure supplies of electricity, both at times of peak demand and in the long term.
