WCA May 2017

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14 Wire & Cable ASIA – May/June 2017
Industrynews
INDUSTRY experts at January’s World Future Energy
Summit and Solar Expo in Abu Dhabi predicted that rooftop
solar will help drive renewable energy to the next stage of its
development in the Middle East and South Asian markets.
Renewable energy, particularly solar, is making rapid
progress in the region, with organisers estimating that
buyers at WFES have more than 200GW of planned
capacity to be added within the next decade.
The industry expects to see rooftop solar driven by initiatives
such as the Shams Dubai programme by Dubai Electricity
and Water Authority (Dewa), which encourages PV systems
on residential, commercial and industrial buildings.
The projects themselves vary in size from just a few to
thousands of solar panels. One initiative under the Shams
Dubai programme is the installation of 88,000 solar panels
on buildings belonging to port operator DP World,
producing enough energy to power around 3,000 homes.
“We are at a point where solar energy is clearly at the centre
of the UAE’s electricity plans, and we are beginning to see
rooftop solar play an important part in this growth,” said
Sami Khoreibi, CEO of Abu Dhabi-based Enviromena.
“Official targets are being set for installing rooftop solar
panels, and policies allowing customers to sell electricity
back into the network are in place. This will fundamentally
change the way we think about electricity in the region.”
Enviromena has constructed 42 solar projects in nine
countries throughout the region, including rooftop solar
installations at Yas Marina Circuit and solar car park shades
at Masdar City.
World Future Energy Summit – Abu Dhabi
Website:
Local production for HV equipment
Taihan Electric Wire Co, a South Korean manufacturer of
industrial cables, is to build a production plant in Saudi
Arabia in cooperation with a local electric power
equipment company, Mohammed Al-Ojaimi Group.
The new facility will help to meet growing demand for
high voltage electric equipment within Saudi Arabia and
its neighbouring countries.
Taihan Electric Wire and Mohammed Al-Ojaimi Group
have established a 60-40 joint venture, Saudi Taihan, in
Riyadh, to build a plant to produce HV electric equipment
for the first time in Saudi Arabia.
The new venture aims to install all necessary facilities by
the second quarter of 2017, and plans that construction
of the factory will be complete by the third quarter.
Saudi Taihan will mainly produce cable connectors and
insulating materials, the company has revealed.
Previously, Saudi Arabia has depended on imports from
Germany and the US for all of its HV equipment needs.
A Taihan Electric Wire official confirmed that the
decision to build the factory followed increasing
demand for HV electric equipment across Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including Saudi
Arabia, and that the company expects the new joint
venture to pave the way to other markets such as Africa
and Europe.
Taihan Electric Wire Co – South Korea
Website:
Experts predict solar to drive renewable energy
Pakistan investments
Pakistan’s secretary of water and power, Mohammad
Younus Dagha, and the chairman of State Grid Corporation
of China have signed an agreement to develop an HVDC
transmission link between Matiari and Lahore. With the
capacity to transmit 4,000MW it will be the first such high
capacity transmission line in Pakistan.
Construction was due to begin in January, and is expected to
take around 20 months. China is investing $1.5 billion in the
project – the latest in a series of significant Chinese
investments, most of which fall under a planned $55 billion
worth of projects towards a China Pakistan Economic Corridor
(CPEC).