Hitachi goes big with contract for first Middle East subsea transmission system

Hitachi Energy has won a major contract for what is said to be the first-of-its-kind high-voltage, direct current (HVDC-VSC) subsea power transmission system in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

As part of the order from Samsung C&T Corporation, Hitachi will connect ADNOC’s offshore operations to the onshore power grid, owned and operated by TAQA’s transmission and distribution companies.

The company will supply four converter stations, which convert AC power to DC for transmission in the subsea cable and then reconvert it to AC from DC for use in the offshore power systems.

The order also includes system studies, design and engineering, supply, installation supervision and commissioning.

The entire power-from-shore project will comprise two HVDC power links, which will connect two clusters of offshore oil and gas production facilities to the mainland power grid, a distance of up to 140 kilometers for each cluster.

According to Hitachi, the HVDC Light technology and MACHTM digital control platform will enable the transfer of cleaner and more efficient power from the mainland to power ADNOC’s offshore production operations, enabling a carbon footprint reduction by more than 30%.

“We are proud to be enabling Abu Dhabi and ADNOC to make significant progress on their pathway toward achieving the United Arab Emirates’ ambition to be carbon-neutral by 2050,” said Claudio Facchin, CEO of Hitachi Energy.

“At Hitachi Energy we are championing the urgency of the clean energy transition, and this major order is further evidence that we are a ‘go to’ partner for developing and deploying technologies and solutions that are advancing the world’s energy system to be more sustainable, flexible and secure.”

TAQA and ADNOC revealed the $3.6 billion strategic project on 22 December, which aims to significantly decarbonize ADNOC’s offshore production operations, in a push to strengthen their position in driving sustainability efforts and support the United Arab Emirates’ Net-Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative.

With a capacity of 3.2 GW, the two HVDC links will be the most powerful power-from-shore solution in the MENA region to date, as well as the first HVDC power-from-shore solution outside Norwegian waters.

Construction is expected to begin next year, with commercial operation starting in 2025.