wiredInUSA May 2017

Chandigarh upgrade Egyptian investment

Huawei Egypt is set to increase its investment in the Egyptian market. The strategy was announced by the CEO of Huawei Egypt, Teri Liu, during a meeting with Sahar Nasr, the Egyptian minister of investment and international cooperation. Huawei has made Egypt its regional hub for North Africa since 1999, serving 22 countries in the region. Huawei Egypt was established in 2002, together with several specialized regional centers of expertize including the North Africa and Middle East Training Center, and the Technical Assistance, Applications, and Software Research Center. Huawei Egypt’s CEO indicated that the company, in partnership with Chinese fiber optic specialist YOFC, is planning an optical fiber factory. Coordination is underway with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. Teri Liu invited the Egyptian minister to visit the company’s research and development center in Beijing. The minister called on the Chinesecompany toenhancecooperation with Egypt in the fields of research and training.

After receiving approval from the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC), the Chandigarh Electricity Department has launched a tender for the conversion of overhead lines to an underground system and a replacement of infrastructure in the city’s Sector 8. Sector 8 was chosen for the pilot scheme as its infrastructure is around 50 years old and frequently breaks down, especially during peak summer season. Department officials feel the scheme will help reduce distribution losses and outages. With augmentation of the power distribution system, load growth over the next five years will also be regulated. At present the department only has one 220kV substation, with five 33kV substations and 13 66kV substations across the city. A substation is usually assumed to have a life span of 25 years; six 66kV substations have exceeded that time span. The Chandigarh administration is also in the process of implementing a smart grid project under the National Smart Grid Mission (NSGM). The administration is to meet 70 percent of costs, with 30 percent of the total project cost borne by NSGM.

wiredInUSA - May 2017

34