Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority

The GCC Interconnection Authority was created to link the power grids of the six-nation alliance by 2010 in order to help cope with the increasing energy demand. Phase I, expected to be completed by 2008, involves the interconnection of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar at a cost of $1.25 billion. Phase II, which will link the power systems of the UAE and Oman, is already in progress. It is important to note that the the GCC Interconnection Authority is not involved in the execution of Phase II. At last, Phase III will connect all the grids of the six Gulf nations into one system, bringing with it huge power savings.