Hitachi Energy Delivers Final Batch of 14 ±500 kV Converter Transformers for 3 GW Saudi-Egypt HVDC Interconnection

Hitachi Energy has completed the manufacturing and maritime dispatch of all 14 heavy-duty ±500 kV converter transformers from its Guarulhos manufacturing pla...

Hitachi Energy Delivers Final Batch of 14 ±500 kV Converter Transformers for 3 GW Saudi-Egypt HVDC Interconnection

Hitachi Energy has completed the manufacturing and maritime dispatch of all 14 heavy-duty ±500 kV converter transformers from its Guarulhos manufacturing plant for the $1.8 billion Saudi-Egypt 3,000 MW HVDC interconnector.

Transcontinental Power Exchange Across the Gulf of Aqaba

The transcontinental interconnector links Badr in Egypt to Tabuk and Medina in Saudi Arabia via a 1,350-kilometer hybrid transmission line comprising 1,300 km of overhead lines and a 20 km subsea cable crossing the Gulf of Aqaba.

The 14 converter transformers—rated up to 450 MVA single-phase with advanced high-temperature insulation and digital bushing telemetry—will step up power at the Tabuk and Badr converter stations, allowing bi-directional 3 GW electricity sharing between the Arab world’s two largest grids.

Capitalizing on Non-Coincident Peak Demand

Because peak electricity consumption in Egypt occurs in the late afternoon while Saudi Arabian demand peaks in the evening, the ±500 kV link enables reciprocal peak shaving without investing in redundant thermal generating capacity.

Final on-site assembly and oil-filling procedures are underway in Tabuk, keeping the project on target for commercial commissioning in mid-2027.