WCA January 2015

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16 Wire & Cable ASIA – January/February 2015
Industrynews
ALSTOM Grid has won another major
HVDC contract to support power
provision in South Korea.
Alstom has been awarded an HVDC
line commutated converter project
through its joint venture,
KEPCO-Alstom Power Electronics
Systems (KAPES), to design and
supply equipment for a 33km energy
corridor in the Seoul region.
The ±500kV HVDC link with 1.5GW
power capacity will transmit energy
produced by the Dangjin power plant
in the west of South Korea, to the
densely populated Pyeongtaek area,
east of Dangjin.
South Korea needs to meet a rapid
increase in power demand. HVDC will
increasingly be used to supply power
to populated areas as the country
develops a resilient transmission grid.
“Alstom is proud to contribute to
Korea’s growing power economy. This
project is the fruit of the joint venture
and co-development efforts between
KEPCO and Alstom; it will increase
Alstom’s HVDC presence in Asia, and
KEPCO will benefit from Alstom’s
industry-leading HVDC technologies
and expertise from around the world,”
said Patrick Plas, senior vice president
grid power electronics and automation
at Alstom.
Alstom is a recognised player in HVDC
technologies in Korea. In the late
1990s the company provided the
original 300MW HVDC bipole link for
the 101km submarine interconnection
between South Korea’s Jeju Island and
the mainland.
In 2009, Alstom was awarded a second
contract to supply the new converter
stations for the 400MW HVDC bipole
scheme, completed in 2014.
Alstom Grid – UK
Website:
Seoul contractor
❍ HVDC valves hall at Alstom
Oil-resistant crosslinkable halogen-free
fire-retardant compound
Fainplast compound HFX 521 has been developed to meet the demand of
products for cables with high operating temperatures (-40°C, +90°C). Oil
resistant, it is especially designed for applications in aggressive environments
such as shipboards, railways and oil platforms.
HFX 521 can be processed on normal production lines for thermoplastic
compounds and complies with IEC 60092-359, type SHF2 (sheathing
materials for shipboard power and telecommunication cables) and with EN
50264-1, type EI 101-104 and EM 101-104 (railway rolling stock power and
control cables).
HFX 521 moisture cures in a short time by adding a specific catalyst, thanks to
the Sioplas method. The crosslinked product offers excellent oil resistance, as
required by relevant standards. The product is halogen free according to EN
50267-2-1 (HCl <0.1%, HBr <0.1%, HF <0.1%).
In burning tests according to EN 61034-1, smoke allows a light transmittance
higher than 90 per cent. The particular simplicity and cost effectiveness of
the Sioplas method allows most cable producers to use HFX 521.
Fainplast has also developed a specific catalyst for external applications that
helps HFX 521 to pass the xenon ageing test required by UL 1581 standard
(Sunlight resistance – Xenon Arc Test – wavelength 340nm).
Fainplast Srl – Italy Website:
Alcatel-Lucent and MTN Nigeria, a
subsidiary of Dubai-based MTN
Group, are creating ultra-broadband
connectivity for Nigeria with the launch
of a super-fast, 100Gps fibre optic
network.
MTN Nigeria, which covers around 90
per cent of the country’s land mass,
will deploy a 100G network that
re-uses existing 10G optical assets,
thereby preserving MTN’s past
investments while ensuring a
future-proof network.
Alcatel-Lucent is supporting MTN
Nigeria’s rapid growth in mobile
subscribers by building a 100G DWDM/
OTN network using its 1830 photonic
service switch (PSS) platform.
MTN Nigeria – Nigeria
Website:
Alcatel-Lucent – France
Website:
Nigeria’s connectivity
boost