High-tech cables for the new Macau Taipa Ferry Terminal in China

categories: Corporate 

The Group will provide special fire-resistant power cables.

CHINA   -   02/07/2012 - 02:00 AM

The Group will provide special fire-resistant power cables

Prysmian Group, world leader in the energy and telecom cable systems industry, was awarded a contract for the supply of high-tech power cables for the new Macau Taipa Ferry Terminal in Macau (P.R.China), strategically important infrastructure linking the sea transportation in the Guangdong area (South China) covering Macau, Hong Kong and Zhuhai. The contract, worth a total of €5 million, concerns in particular the design, supply, installation, and commissioning of special fire-resistant cables, in cooperation with BBC Cable Engineering, a local and very experienced partner in the area.

The high-tech power cables feature electrical and mechanical characteristics able to increase the level of safety in case of fire and stay functional even if directly exposed to fire, ensuring the supply of energy and the operation of signalling systems. The completion of the installation is scheduled for the end of 2013.

According to its strategy of focusing on business and products with high-technology content, the Group has developed a complete range of high-performance cables for the construction and infrastructure sector (FP200 Gold, FP Plus, FP100, FP400, FP & FP600S Firefix). Prysmian Group has installed its fire resistant and Afumex (low fire-hazard) cables in several prestigious locations worldwide, where fire safety is a critical requirement. The installations include the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building; the Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao; amore recently, the Drax Power Station in UK, the largest renewable biomass co-firing project in the world; the Shard of London, the tallest building in Western Europe; and the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, the most expensive stand-alone integrated resort property ever built.

The contract has strategic value, due to being awarded in China, a market with high growth potential where the Group already has an established presence. In China, Prysmian Group employs over 1,500 employees in 9 manufacturing plants, located in Baoying (high-voltage cables), Tianjin and Suzhou (special cables for industrial applications), Suzhou (systems and network components), Shanghai (submarine cables), Wuxi (optical cables), Wuhan (optical fibres and multimedia systems), Nantong Haixun and Nantong Zhongyao (elevators systems).

Aiming to meet the needs of the Chinese market, which represents approximately 20% of the entire cable industry worldwide, the Group has recently completed an investment worth €20 million to expand the plant in Baoying, doubling the production capacity and promoting the introduction of new technologies, such as the new Vertical Continues Vulcanization (VCV) tower, able to produce high-voltage & extra high-voltage cables 2,500 mm2 up to 500 kV.