The Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) delayed opening the technical and financial envelopes for the Egyptian-Saudi electrical interconnection cables and transformers tender until February 2017, reported Daily News Egypt.

Sources at EETC stated that opening the envelopes was scheduled for early January, but was delayed because some companies enquired for more clarification on some items.

The company to win the tender will be required to establish a 450km air-transmitter line that extends from Badr City transformer station to Nabq station. It will further construct an 850km long aero transmission line that links between Nabq station and East Madina station, passing through Tabuk transformers.

EETC also delayed opening the envelopes for the transformers station from the late January to February 2017. The company that wins this tender will build two 500kV AC/DC transformer stations in Badr City as well as another linking station that will connect to the aero line in Nabq.

The project had been under negotiations since 2008 and was postponed to 2011. The political situation in Egypt kept the contracts away from reaching final agreements. Finally, in 2014, the government continued the project and launched several tenders.