WCA July 2008

news news

❍ Nexans’ own cable laying ship, the CS Skagerrak, is scheduled to lay the cable in Spring 2011

HVDC cable to link Finland and Sweden

Nexans has been awarded a contract, worth around €150 million, by Fingrid Oyj, the electricity transmission system operator in Finland, and Svenska Kraftnät, which runs the national electrical grid in Sweden. The contract is for the manufacture and installation of a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) submarine power cable for Fenno-Skan 2, the new power interconnector between Finland and Sweden. Nexans will supply around 200 km of specialised solid, oil-impregnated MIND (Mass Impregnated Non- Draining) cable for both the subsea and land based elements of the Fenno-Skan 2 interconnector. With a copper cross-section of 2,000 mm 2 , this will be the largest capacity HVDC cable manufactured by Nexans to date. The cable will be supplied in two continuous lengths of around 100 km, requiring just one offshore joint. The Fenno-Skan 2 HVDC project will create a new 800 MW, 500 kV subsea

electricity transmission connection between southern Finland and Sweden, following a 200 km route across the Gulf of Bothnia. the Fenno-Skan 2 cable in its Halden, Norway plant, starting in autumn 2009. The installation of the cable, at a maximum sea depth of 100m, will be carried out by Nexans’ own cable laying ship, the CS Skagerrak, and this is scheduled for spring 2011. “This major contract for the Fenno-Skan 2 project reinforces Nexans’ position as a key manufacturer and installer of high-technology cables for subsea power interconnectors,” said Patrick Barth, MD of Nexans’ high voltage activity. He added: “This new project underlines the fact that international power interconnections are today one of the most important drivers in the energy market worldwide.” Nexans – France Fax : +33 15669 8484 Email : nexans.web@nexans.com Website : www.nexans.com Nexans will manufacture

And meanwhile...

At 600 metres long and a voltage of 138 kV, Nexans has claimed two world records for a superconductor cable incorporated in a power grid: the longest cable and the highest voltage. The world’s longest and highest- voltage superconductor power transmission cable, developed and manufactured by Nexans has been successfully energised in a test installation for the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), one of the largest municipal electric utilities in the US. The 600-metre, 138 kV, 574 MVA power link, comprising three high temperature superconductor (HTS) cable phases running in parallel, is the world’s first superconductor cable system installed in a live grid operating at transmission voltage.

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Wire & Cable ASIA – July/August 2008