The Spanish multinational corporation Abengoa, which includes companies in the domains of energy, telecommunications, transportation, and the environment, has won a a $155 million contract with Emera subsidiary NSP Maritime Link to build some 400 km of overhead power transmission lines in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. 

In Newfoundland, Abengoa will develop approximately 160km of 230kV AC lines from the Granite Canal substation to the Bottom Brook substation. Around 142km of 200kV HVDC lines will be added from Bottom Brook to Cape Ray and 23km of 5kV grounding line from Bottom Brook converter station to Indian Head.

In Nova Scotia, where the transmission portion of the project is much smaller, the company will build 46km of 200kV HVDC transmission lines from Point Aconi to the Woodbine substation and 41km of 5kV grounding line from the Woodbine converter station to Big Lorraine.

Abengoa said an average of 200 jobs will be created over the construction period, which is expected to begin in Q2 2015. The project is expected to take two years.

The $1.577 billion Maritime Link project will connect the island of Newfoundland, through a 170 km subsea cable, with Nova Scotia and the North American grid for the first time.

Swiss giant ABB is also working on the converter stations for the Link, which is scheduled for commissioning in 2017. Abengoa is based in Seville, Spain with U.S. headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri. Read their press release here.