Coinciding with the kingdom’s celebrations of the Silver Jubilee of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s Accession, Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister, inaugurated the Riffa Statcom Station.
Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla said that the operation projects of statcom stations reflect Bahrain’s commitment to maintaining the stability of the electricity grid, ensuring continuous, reliable, and sustainable electricity availability to all subscribers, in line with the comprehensive development process led by HM the King Hamad and the follow-up of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
He highlighted the government’s keenness to develop and modernise the electricity grid infrastructure, including operating statcom stations, a first-of-its-kind in the kingdom, aimed at increasing production capacity and enhancing efficiency through advanced technological systems.
The Deputy Prime Minister was briefed on the project by Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed, President of the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA).
During the visit, Shaikh Khalid bin Abdullah unveiled the commemorative plaque of the station, marking the start of operations.
The Deputy Premier commended the tremendous efforts of EWA’s President and team members for their tremendous efforts to continue advancing electricity and water services that cater to development requirements and economic growth.
For his part, Kamal bin Ahmed expressed his appreciation to the Deputy Premier for inaugurating the station, commending his support for vital projects through follow-up, progress monitoring, and enhancing interagency coordination through the Ministerial Committee for Development Projects and Infrastructure.
He noted that the establishment of the station aligns with the Authority’s plan to develop and modernise electricity transmission networks, encompassing an integrated vision to implement similar stations in Riffa, Manama, and Hidd, with a total budget of BD38 million. Each station occupies an area between 4,000 and 5,000 square meters, utilising remote control, supervisory control, and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, cutting-edge cybersecurity technologies, and a fiber-optic communications network.
The integrated station project aims to enhance the capacity, efficiency, reliability, and quality of electricity transmission and distribution networks, ensuring safe operation and stability during emergencies. It supports the electrical grid’s sustainability by preventing partial and total outages, maintaining service continuity, and optimising operational efficiency and effectiveness, Kamal bin Ahmed added.
The Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) collaborated with Irish consultancy ESB International to provide consulting services for the project. This included reviewing engineering designs, selecting equipment, and supervising the implementation by Hitachi Energy Technologies, following their win of the tender.
According to the EWA’s plan, it is scheduled to inaugurate Hidd and Manama stations, which are part of this project, this year. Along with the inauguration of 220 kV and 66 kV stations within other projects.
BNA(R)
