L&T on track to complete 73 substation projects in GCC

Larsen & Toubro (L&T), the Indian technology conglomerate, said on Wednesday that it is right on track to complete a total of 73 substation projects in the GCC worth over $1 billion despite the headwinds posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The $21 billion engineering and construction giant, which is showcasing its digital solutions and range of engineering, procurement and construction services at the Wetex and the Dubai Solar Show 2020, said in a statement that it already had executed 283 substation projects across the Gulf region worth billions of dollar, including several landmark power infrastructure projects for Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.

T. Madhava Das, director & senior executive vice president (Utilities) at L&T, said this year’s Wetex virtual event, held in a fully immersive 3D environment, has provided the company an opportunity to showcase its digital solutions, track record and capabilities in transmission and distribution and renewable energy. “We are pleased to reaffirm our commitment towards UAE and reinforce our associations with several of our major stakeholders,” Das said.

Wetex, which started on October 26, is the first carbon neutral 3D virtual exhibition in the Middle East and North Africa.

Das said the conglomerate has established a strong presence in the Middle East and in the construction, hydrocarbon, power transmission and distribution, heavy civil infrastructure, transport infrastructure and water and smart world communication sectors of North Africa. L&T recently won several projects in the region including a contract worth $509.1 million for freight facilities for Etihad Rail, the UAE’s national railway network. The Indian major was also among the contractors working with Saudi Aramco as part of the 34 contracts valued at $18 billion awarded for the oil giant’s Marjan and Berri oilfield increment programmes. Another major contract in Saudi Arabia came from Mansoura Massarrah Gold Mine and is worth $725 million. In the UAE, besides Dewa projects, L&T is executing substations and cabling projects for utilities like Transco, Sewa and AADC.

Significant projects under execution include substations and cabling projects of more than 50+ km of cable route length across 132kV and an extra high voltage substation of 400 kV. L&T’s international track record in the power sector covers over 4,000 km of transmission lines of various voltages up to 400 kV, more than 300 substations as well as more than 3,000 km of cabling. The Indian company has also commissioned more than 10 water infrastructure projects in the GCC region till date worth over $1 billion. Last year, the company commissioned a 375-million-litre-per-day sewage treatment plant in Jebel Ali, on a turnkey basis, the largest in the region which is now being operated and maintained by L&T.

L&T’s renewable business division also made its entry into the GCC with its first 300 MW project.

— issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com