Nexans wins 35 million Euro high voltage underground power cable contract for Shanghai

ShanghaiNexans, the worldwide leader in the cable industry, has received an order worth around 35 million Euro from the Shanghai Power Equipment & Materials Co. Ltd to manufacture and install a 17km, 500kV, underground power cable circuit to link Shibo and Sanlin 500kV substations in Shanghai city, China. The circuit, to be installed on behalf of the Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Co. Ltd, will establish two world records as both the first intra-city 500kV cable and the first 500kV XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene insulated) cable with a cross-sectional area of 2,500mm2. This contract forms part of a global infrastructure project to meet Shanghai’s constantly growing demand for power, with the city’s consumption estimated to reach 125 billion kWhr by 2010. The project includes the construction of a 17km underground tunnel to carry two 500kV circuits. An innovative cable technology Nexans will manufacture and install a total of 51km 500kV XLPE cable. The cable will be laid as three separate 17km lengths within the cable tunnel, one for each phase of the 3-phase electricity supply, and will require over 100 HV (high voltage) joints. Nexans is using an innovative cable technology for this high voltage application, with a metallic screen in smooth laminated aluminum. This is a much lighter solution than the conventional lead or corrugated aluminum sheath and this will make the cable easier to install. The cable will be manufactured in Nexans’ Charleroi factory in Belgium. The cables should be installed between the end of 2007 and 2009. The project should be completed over a 30-month period. “The Shanghai project will provide an important customer reference for future commercial developments in China and the general Asia region, which is a particularly competitive market for HV cables. Nexans is very pleased to be breaking new ground in the installation of 500kV XLPE cable for an intra-city power link, especially as 500kV cable routes are set to increase in importance to help meet the region’s growing demand for power.” said Patrick Barth, Nexans’ HV business group President.