An update to the Neom power transmission line: Saudi Arabia’s Arabian Electrical Transmission Line Contracting (AETCON) has won a USD 155 mn contract to construct a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line connecting Saudi Arabia’s net zero city Neom to other areas in the country, Utilities Middle East reports. The contract was awarded by the Saudi Electricity Company, which is almost 75% owned by Saudi Arabia's sovereign Public Investment Fund.

What we know about the line: The HVDC transmission line, which spans a distance of 605 km, will be linked to the Saudi Neom-Yanbu 525 kV HVDC Transmission Line project. It will stretch from Yanbu on the western coast of the country to Neom.

Back to back HVDC: Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co. — a subsidiary of Hyundai Motors Group — was awarded earlier this month a USD 145 mn contract to build the 525 KV HVDC transmission line. Hyundai will be responsible for the engineering to procurement and construction of the HVDC line under the turnkey agreement. It is set to build a 207 km HVDC line and approximately 450 transmission towers to connect Neom to Tabuk and Yanbu. The Korean construction company expects the project to be completed by July 2027.

It’s been an eventful couple of months for Neom: In June, the Saudi Electricity Company and Neom’s water management and utility company Enowa signed an agreement with Zurich-based tech company Hitachi Energy to build a 3 GW, 650 km high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system connecting Neom’s floating industrial complex Oxagon to the country’s port city of Yanbu. Earlier in May, Neom awarded a USD 2 bn contract for a rail project linking its floating industrial complex Oxagon to renewable energy-powered The Line city.

IN OTHER NEOM NEWS- There’s progress on Neom’s green hydrogen plant: Indian multinational Larsen & Toubro — project developer of the clean energy projects that will power Neom’s USD 8.4 bn green hydrogen plant — signed an agreement with China’s Sungrow for the supply of solar inverter skid solutions for Neom’s 2.2 GW solar farm, according to a statement.