Sumitomo Electric said a few days ago that the company has won a cable supply contract awarded by the project EPC contractor Samsung C&T Corporation and Jan de Nul's consortium to provide high-voltage direct current cables for Abu Dhabi National Oil Company with a total length of 140 kilometers.
It is reported that this is the first submarine HVDC transmission system in the Middle East using Sumitomo Electric's state-of-the-art 400 kV DC cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cable technology.
The project, which has a total cost of $200 million, is expected to start operations in 2025. This is part of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company's new subsea HVDC system, Project Lightning.
Among them, the EPC consortium of Samsung C&T and Jan de Nul has been awarded contracts by a joint venture between Korea Electric Power Corporation, Kyushu Electric Power Transmission and Distribution Corporation, Kyuden International Corporation and EDF. The project is in line with the UAE's national goal of achieving zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
According to the initiative, the project aims to provide sustainable electricity from the mainland through a high-voltage direct current transmission system connecting the UAE mainland and Das Island in the Persian Gulf, thereby significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Under the agreement, Sumitomo Electric Group will contribute to the UAE's zero-emissions goal through the project, a major milestone in the UAE's decarbonization efforts and a major milestone in the global net-zero emissions plan for decades to come.
With the rapid development of renewable energy and increasing demand for regional grid interconnection and balancing energy, the demand for HVDC XLPE cables is expected to grow further.