The 400kV overhead line interconnection from Taweelah power station to the Abu Dhabi power station, contracted to SAG of Germany by Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (Adwea) in 1998, is on schedule for commissioning next month. The project includes the construction of 31 artificial islands, three in relatively deep waters.

Guenter Guelicher, general manager for SAG (Starkstrom Anlagen Gesellschaft mbH), said the project was technically challenging due to the offshore part. "The total route length for the interconnection covers 59.3 kilometres with 118 towers, of which the offshore operation stretches 20 kilometres with 41 towers, including four channel crossing towers."

The offshore part entails an eight-kilometre artificial dam road beaded by the 31 islands, he said. While 28 of these manmade islands were created in shallow depths of from one to four metres, three were erected in water depths of five to eight metres using 1,544 pre-cast concrete blocks.

Abu Dhabi-based sub-contractor Target Engineering Construction Co executed all civil jobs required prior to the tower erection works of the overhead line. SAG's strengths lie in route planning, installation and maintenance of power lines including switchgear and systems for national and international grid operators. The company is a division of Tessag (Technical Systems and Services, Frankfurt), and its parent is RWE (Essen-based Rheinisch Westfaelische Elektrizitaetswerke).