Cable contract

has won an order from GCCIA (Gulf Countries Council Interconnection Authority) worth over $171 million to manufacture and install a dedicated extra-high-voltage link to interconnect the power grids of

and

.

The project, worth $343 million overall, is one of the largest ever undertaken in the world.

Nexans will supply one extra-high-voltage cable circuit comprising a total of 120km of 400kV single core SCFF (Self Contained Fluid Filled) submarine cables, 24km of 400kV single core SCFF underground cables and 47 km of fibre optic cable. Nexans will also supply connection accessories including joints and terminations, oil pressurising system and temperature monitoring systems.

These links will run from Al Jasra, Bahrain to Ras Al Qurrayah, Saudi Arabia via Umm An Na’ san Island. The submarine sections will be 40km long and the underground sections 7km long. The overall weight of the cables to be delivered for this project will be over 12,000 tonnes.

The project to interconnect the power transmission grids of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain is part of a larger-scale project, the GCC Interconnection Grid. It will interconnect most of the major Gulf countries and eventually have the capability to transport 1200 MVA by High Voltage Alternate Current transmission.

The extra-high-voltage submarine power cables will be manufactured in

. The project is expected to be commissioned in early 2010.