Canada-based global engineering consultancy SNC-Lavalin has been awarded a four-year project management office (PMO) and engineering design review services contract for the $1.8 billion Saudi-Egypt power grids project.

The company said in a press statement that the contract was awarded jointly by the Saudi Electric Company and The Egyptian Electricity Transmission Corporation, who are co-developing the Middle East and North Africa region’s first large-scale high voltage direct current (HVDC) interconnection.

SNC-Lavalin said that its PMO mandate includes supervising the design and execution of the project, and involves supervision of contractors throughout the engineering, construction and commissioning phases.

The interconnection project, once ready, would allow the two countries to exchange up to 3 gigawatts of electricity at peak times, powering upward of 20 million people, the statement noted.

In November 2021, Zawya Projects had reported that the project's Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor Hitachi Energy is working with local firms in Saudi Arabia and Egypt to implement the project.

(Writing by SA Kader; Editing by Anoop Menon)(anoop.menon@lseg.com)