KSA: Solar-LIT, a specialist in automatic robotic cleaning system for solar plants, has secured a key contract from Indian engineering and construction major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for supply of its solutions at the world’s largest utility-scale green hydrogen plant in Saudi futuristic city NEOM.
The mega plant is being set up by NEOM Green Hydrogen Company (NGHC), a joint venture between Acwa Power, a leading Saudi developer of power generation and water desalination plants worldwide, with US-based Air Products, a world leader in industrial gases, and developer of mega Saudi futuristic NEOM as its JV partners.
The aim is to produce carbon-free hydrogen using solely renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.
L&T had been signed up as an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor for a 2.2 GWac PV Solar Plant, a 1.65 GW Wind Generation Balance Plant, and a 400 MWh Battery Energy Storage System under the Power Elements package.
It will also construct three units of 380 kV switching stations and 306 km of 380 kV overhead lines required for the kingdom’s grid network.
On the development, Ravindran, the Senior Vice President of Larsen & Toubro, said: “We appreciate the support and actions from the Solar-LIT team in cooperating with us in our previous projects for robot supplies. We look forward to a more fruitful co-operation in the NEOM Green Hydrogen project and a broader and deeper cooperation in the future.”
The KSA’s ambitious plan to lead the global transition to clean and sustainable energy aligns perfectly with NEOM’s role as the flagship project in this commitment, he added.
In another development, L&T has picked up India-based Vrinda Nano Technologies (VNT), a leading supplier of green power solutions, to supply its wireless string monitoring boxes at the NEOM Green Hydrogen plant site in Oxagon.
On the contract win, VNT Managing Director Dr Vikas Almadi and CEO & Director Rahul Sharma said: “It is an honour and a proud moment for us to participate in the world’s biggest green hydrogen mission with state-of-the-art technology fully developed and manufactured in India.”
The wireless string monitoring boxes provided to NEOM are all-weather products and can work seamlessly during sand storms, they stated.
Its inbuilt redundant wireless networking capabilities will enable the developers to monitor the power plant effortlessly to the string level, they added.
On VNT’s selection, Ravindran said: “We always select the best products and partners for our contracts, and VNT is a remarkably innovative company.”
“It is a customer-centric organisation with great experience to work in tough geographies. We wish VNT all the best for the NEOM project too,” he added.
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