Power and automation technology group ABB has won orders worth US$24mn from Ma?aden Aluminium Company (MAC) to execute a fast-track transmission substation project in Saudi Arabia
ABB will design, engineer and supply a 380kV outdoor gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) substation at the Ras Al Khair power plant that will export 800MW of power from the plant to the national transmission grid and feed a new aluminium smelter. The project is scheduled for completion within 10 months.
?This substation will enhance power capacity and improve quality and reliability of supply for critical processes and sustained productivity at the new aluminium plant,? said Oleg Aleinikov, head of ABB?s substations business, a part of the company?s power systems division.
ABB?s scope of supply includes high-voltage outdoor gas-insulated switchgear, communication and auxiliary systems and IEC 61850 compliant substation automation, control and protection. These containerised systems will be factory-assembled and pre-commissioned to speed up on site installation.
Urbanisation and economic development in emerging markets is fuelling the demand for aluminium and related compounds. Aluminium is the most widely used non-ferrous metal with some of its many applications being in transportation including aerospace, automotive and railways, packing, construction as well as household items.
The Saudi Arabian Mining Company, Ma?aden, in a joint venture with US-based Alcoa, is building an integrated aluminium mining, refining, smelting and rolling mill facility at Ras Al Khair. The multibillion dollar complex will produce four million tonnes per annum (mtpa) bauxite, 1.8 mtpa alumina, 740 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) of aluminium metal and 380 ktpa rolled products.
The smelter and rolling mill will commence production in 2013, while the mine and refinery will commence in 2014.
