RIYADH: The Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority aims to connect with Europe in the future once the grids to Egypt and Jordan are linked, said the authority’s CEO Ahmed Ali Al-Ebrahim. “We are connecting GCC with Egypt, Jordan and Iraq to have a pan-Arab market. The sector needs grids, interconnectivity, and technology,” said Al-Ebrahim, while speaking at a virtual conference during the MEA Energy Week. He also noted that GCCIA is carrying out discussions to connect with India as well. Al-Ebrahim added that a transformation from the classical way of grid operation and connectivity is necessary to meet the rising demands of the future. He further noted that the major challenge in this time of transformation is how to integrate renewable energy into the system without affecting security and stability. Last week, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz met with his Egyptian counterpart Mohamed Shaker in Cairo to follow up on the progress of the electrical interconnection project between the two countries. During the meeting, the ministers also discussed possibilities of cooperation in the fields of renewable energy and hydrogen. Last October, Saudi Arabia and Egypt signed contracts for a $1.8 billion electricity interconnection project aimed at ensuring an electricity exchange of 3,000 MW.