RIYADH – Saudi Arabia and Egypt are scheduled to sign in Riyadh today (Saturday) a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on power grid between the two countries. Minister of Water and Electricity Abdullah Bin Abdulrahman Al-Hussein will sign on behalf of Saudi Arabia while Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Energy Ahmed Mustafa Imam will sign for his country. The Saudi-Egypt grid is considered the first step in implementing the most important power grid in the Arab world as the new junction is scheduled to link electric networks of 14 Arab countries. The project, estimated at $2.2 billion, seeks to make Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies a key electricity exporter to Egypt and eventually across North Africa. The plans have been on the drawing board for years, but they were put on hold because of the Arab Spring uprisings. The Saudi Press Agency reported Friday that discussions on the project have been concluded. Construction of the power lines is expected to take at least three years. — Agencies
