wiredInUSA June 2018

Home grown cables

Connecting Nigeria’s hinterland

Image: www.tapco.ae

Ducab Group has announced that a project for the Taweelah B power station in Abu Dhabi, owned by Tapco, is the first 400kV circuit to enter service using cables manufactured within the GCC. The circuit is a critical component in helping Tapco provide a secure electricity supply for the Emirates. The 400kV cable circuit, completed two months ahead of schedule, is said to utilize leading energy technology and operates at the highest voltage in the region — 1,000 times the voltage of a domestic power socket. Regarding the project, Dale Huntington, MD of Tapco, said: “One of the key reasons we awarded this project to Ducab HV was the challenging timeline, and to complete the project two months ahead of schedule shows the real benefit of having a world- class local supplier.” Ducab HV is the first dedicated high voltage (60kV to 150kV) and extra high voltage (220kV to 500kV) power cable manufacturing facility in the Middle East. Ducab HV is a joint venture, established between Ducab, DEWA and the department of energy in Abu Dhabi.

Globacom, of Nigeria, has awarded a contract to Huawei for a second fiber optic submarine cable to run between Lagos and southern Nigeria. The new cable, to be known as Glo 2, is expected to be completed within 18 months. It will have 12 terabit capacity per second and span 850km, providing last- mile connectivity to businesses in southern Nigeria and beyond. The plan for theGlo 2 project was launched at a contract signing ceremony between Globacom and Huawei. Globacom’s regional director for technical affairs, Sanjib Roy, said that the cable will contain three fiber pairs, with the first pair connecting Lagos directly to the southern part of Nigeria, with terrestrial extension to other parts of the country for redundancy and maintenance purposes. The second will be equipped with eight switchable branching units (BUs), to deliver high capacity to offshore oil stations and communities, while the third pair will be equipped with two switchable branching units to deliver high capacity to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.

wiredInUSA - June 2018

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