Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has awarded the local Alfanar Construction a SR287m ($76.5m) contract to install a new substation at Rabigh in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia.

The contract involves building a 380kV substation. Work is expected to be complete by the third quarter of 2016.

The award follows several other transmission and distribution (T&D) projects. In March the SEC awarded a $110m contract to Switzerland’s ABB to build and upgrade existing electrical substations in Mecca. Also in March, the SEC awarded local National Contracting Company a $166m contract to install 380kV overhead transmission lines in the country’s eastern province.

The projects are part of a wider scheme to expand and upgrade Saudi Arabia’s electricity infrastructure to cope with growing demand.