Entrant: Emirates Technical Associates (ETA)

Project owner: Transco

EPC contractor: ETA

Consultants: ETA; Poyry

Architect: Poyry

Project management company: Lahmeyer International

Description: The 132/11KV substation for the UAE’s Ministry of Presidential Affairs’ Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi is a world-class substation and the first underground substation of its kind in the UAE. The project involved working with more than 30 vendors from Europe, Japan and the Americas, and bringing the best equipment and technology to the UAE. Complex engineering and best construction practices were required, and ETA was able to overcome challenges and execute the project within the client’s power requirement timeline. The project demonstrated the best, most interesting and significant practices used in electrical engineering. It involved high levels of skill and capabilities, mainly sourced from GCC nations, including the UAE. This allowed ETA to lift the human development index for the UAE and wider region. At its peak, the project had more than 400 workmen and 50 supervisors working on it, and it was executed with no lost-time injuries.