Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. Photo: Egyptian Cabinet
The first phase has a capacity of 1,500 megawatts, Madbouly said during a meeting on Thursday to review the project's progress.
He added that the second phase will commence immediately after the first phase is completed, also with a capacity of 1,500 megawatts, according to a cabinet statement.
The prime minister noted that the project's implementation timeline was reaffirmed during the recent visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Cairo this week.
Madbouly called on companies responsible for the project to adhere to the specified timings, pointing out that he would follow up on the project’s progress monthly.
The project has been under construction under an agreement signed between both nations in October 2021.
A coalition of three international companies is working on the project, which is expected to enable the two countries to exchange up to 3,000 MW of electricity.
Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Esmat noted that the project links the two largest electrical networks in the region and constitutes the foundation for a future Arab power grid connection.
The project consists of three high-voltage transformer stations: two in Saudi Arabia (in Madinah and Tabuk) and one in Egypt (in Badr City, east of Cairo).
These stations will be connected by approximately 1,350 km of overhead transmission lines and marine cables.
In July, Al-Sharq Bloomberg reported that the project is 60 percent complete, noting that the estimated cost of the first phase is about $1.8 billion.
The grid is expected to work at its full capacity (3,000 MW) by the beginning of 2026, Al-Sharq Bloomberg added.
The project aims to capitalize on the disparity in peak load times between the two countries’ power grids, Esmat said in July.
It also targets maximizing the benefits of their respective generation capacities, reducing fuel consumption, and ensuring cost-effective network operation, he added.
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