Siemens to Deliver Turnkey 400/132-kV Substation to Dubai

Sept. 21, 2006
Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution (PTD) is delivering a turnkey 400-kV/132-kV substation with gas-insulated switchgear to Dubai as part of the further expansion of the power supply system of the United Arab Emirates

Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution (PTD) is delivering a turnkey 400-kV/132-kV substation with gas-insulated switchgear to Dubai as part of the further expansion of the power supply system of the United Arab Emirates. The substation will link the power plant “H Station at Al-Aweer” to the country’s power supply network. The substation also completes the Emirates National Grid (ENG) by providing a link between the power plant and the power supply system of Abu Dhabi. The order, which has a value of about 83 million euros, was placed by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA). Start-up of the system is planned for the beginning of 2008.

The turnkey order comprises the delivery of the substation, including a 400-kV and a 132-kV switchgear, four 450-MVA power transformers (400/132 kV), four 40-MVAR reactors (132 kV), cable systems for 400 and 132 kV, automation, control and protection systems and expansion of the network control system and telecommunications equipment. Gas-insulated busducts (GIB) for 400 kV will also be installed for providing the connection to the nearby switchgear in the H Station at Al-Aweer power plant complex, as well as to the high-voltage overhead transmission lines. The GIB links will have a total length of about 6 km. With 24 gas-insulated switchgear bays at 400-kV voltage level and 28 bays for 132 kV, this substation is the largest of its kind that Siemens has delivered to date worldwide.

The Emirate of Dubai is one of the fastest developing regions in the world. Most of the electricity used in Dubai is generated by the Jebel Ali power plant complex, and at present the total output of this complex already exceeds 3500 MW. In addition, the H Station power plant complex at Al-Aweer will cover Dubai’s rising demand for electrical power in the future. The peak load power plants in H Station at Al-Aweer will have a total capacity of about 2000 MW after the present expansion is complete. The power plants are situated on the outskirts of the city, about 20 km from Dubai Airport.

Siemens PTD has already implemented a number of projects of this type in Dubai for the 132-kV and 11-kV voltage levels. In mid-2004, for example, the Group was awarded an order by DEWA to build five 132/11-kV substations. One of these substations will supply electricity to the Burj Dubai, which is currently under construction in the Emirate and will be the highest tower in the world. Another will supply the power for the largest shopping mall in the Middle East being built in Dubai. The other substations will supply electricity to the Dubailand theme park and the Sheikh Zayed University, the largest university in the United Arab Emirates, as well as to the city of Dubai itself.

At the beginning of 2005, another seven stations were additionally ordered for the expansion of the power supply system, and two stations for an Arab urban complex currently under development aimed at revitalizing the old cultural heritage of the Middle East. Dubai’s financial district, the “Dubai Festival City Region” on which construction work is currently in progress, and the city's international media center will be supplied with electricity via the other three Siemens substations.

Siemens can thus draw on its wide experience with the delivery of 400-, 220- und 132-kV transformer substations for the environmental conditions prevailing in the Middle East. In this region substations have to be earthquake-proof and must be designed for ambient temperatures as high as 55°C in the shade, for sandstorms with wind speeds of up to 160 km/h and for salty sea air with high humidity.

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of T&D World, create an account today!