The GCC Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) and Sohar International Bank,Oman have signed a $500 million interim financing agreement to support the implementation of a direct electricity interconnection project linking the Authority’s grid with that of the Sultanate of Oman.

The project aims to enhance regional energy security and increase opportunities for electricity trade and exchange among the Gulf Cooperation Council member states, in a strategic step that reflects the depth of Gulf integration.

The project includes the construction of a 400-kilovolt double-circuit transmission line linking the Al-Sila station, owned by the GCCIA in the United Arab Emirates, with the Ibri station, to be established by the Authority in Oman. The total length of the line will be 530 kilometers.

Eng. Mohsen bin Hamad Al-Hadhrami, Chairman of the Board of Directors of GCCIA, said that the project represents a qualitative leap in the path of integrating electricity networks among the GCC states, noting that it will strengthen the Sultanate of Oman’s position as a pivotal hub for energy exchange in the region.