A consortium composed of EDF, KEPCO and Kyushu Electric Power Co., has signed a $3.6 billion strategic power transmission project, alongside the UAE’s Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Abu Dhabi National Electricity Company PJSC (TAQA) to develop and operate a high-voltage, direct current (HVDC-VSC) subsea transmission system, a first-of-its-kind in the Middle East and North Africa region.
This innovative project will connect ADNOC’s offshore production operations with cleaner and more efficient energy, delivered through the Abu Dhabi onshore power grid, owned and operated by TAQA’s transmission and distribution companies. The project will reduce ADNOC’s offshore carbon footprint by more than 30%, supporting the UAE goals to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 (Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative).
Jean-Bernard Lévy, Chairman and CEO of EDF, stated: “We are grateful to have been awarded such a contract by ADNOC and TAQA in the UAE within the successful consortium, which can rely on EDF’s robust transmission engineering expertise. EDF is proud to be part of this innovative power transmission project that significantly contributes to decarbonize ADNOC’s offshore operations.”
The consortium will hold a combined 40% stake in the project and will develop and operate for 35 years the 3.2 Gigawatts transmission system alongside ADNOC and TAQA. Start of work is expected in 2022, with commercial operation to commence by 2025.