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GCC electricity grid can extend to Europe

Abu Dhabi - The unified grid was set up to share capacity in case of emergencies in GCC countries, with each maintaining a minimal reserve level in the grid. All six countries came online by 2011.

A unified Gulf Arab electricity grid that currently serves as an emergency back-up system could become an "electricity highway" that extends to the wider Middle East and Europe if Arab Gulf states push ahead with ambitious renewable energy projects, according to industry experts interviewed by Dubai-based business intelligence and news provider, Zawya.
The unified grid was set up to share capacity in case of emergencies in GCC countries, with each maintaining a minimal reserve level in the grid. All six countries came online by 2011.
The grid, which has a maximum transfer capacity of 1,200 megawatt (MW), has seen minimal trade exchanges in the last few years, but large scale deployment of renewable energy sources would be a key driver for more intense use of the transmission grid, particularly for cross-border links.
"In the initial stage of renewable energy generation deployment in the Gulf countries, this backbone shall serve as an 'electricity highway' for the domestic market. At a later stage, the grid should be suitably reinforced to avoid curtailment of excess generation," said Floris Schulze, managing director at technical consulting and engineering firm CESI Middle East.
"On the eastern side, ideas have been put forward aimed at examining the possibility of connecting the link with Pakistan, which is in desperate need for additional power supply, while feasibility for Turkey is being explored, paving the way towards Europe," he told Zawya.
CESI signed a three-year agreement with the GCC Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) in 2014 to provide system operations and planning studies, as well as feasibility studies for the development of an international transmission and interconnection network.
The share of renewable energy accounted for less than one per cent of the GCC's total installed generation capacity of 120 gigawatt (GW) at the end of 2014, but the region is targeting an increase in the share of renewables to 15 to 30 per cent by 2030, according to Zawya.
"Foreseeing the growing demand of energy, we now aim to connect the whole Middle East with the possibility of connecting European countries with the Interconnectivity Grid," said Nasser Abdullah Al Shahrani, director of operations and control at GCCIA.
"There are big savings to be made here in terms of capital investments, fuel costs and reducing the environment impact to generate power," he told Zawya. 

• MENA