Ausgrid (NSW) has awarded a new contract worth approximately $44 million for 132 kV underground high voltage cables to Prysmian Group.
The award comes on the back of a separate smaller related contract awarded in September 2013 worth approximately $8 million.
These projects form part of Ausgrid’s network plans where existing cables and equipment, installed about 40 years ago, are being replaced in the Willoughby-Lindfield-Castle Cove area on Sydney’s North Shore and the Engadine area, just south of Sydney. The contracts comprise design, manufacture, supply, civil works,installation, and test of 132 kV XLPE underground cables for both projects.
Production will involve multiple Prysmian locations: China will supply approximately 105 km in total of 132 kV cable, China and the Netherlands will supply joints and outdoor terminations and Prysmian Australia’s Liverpool and Dee Why plants will supply bonding and fibre-optic communications cables, respectively.
The Engadine project is currently in installation phase with completion scheduled for June 2014, after which works on the North Shore cable upgrade project will begin.
“We are proud to work with Ausgrid on this important project,” said Prysmian Australia & New Zealand CEO Frederick Persson.
“This new contract has a strategic importance for Prysmian. It underlines and ourlong-standing leading position as a major supplier of an extensive range of products to power utilities, telecommunication carriers, electrical wholesalers and contractors, OEMs, the mining industry and petrochemical facilities.”
Australia represents a major market for Prysmian, with a number of projects currently ongoing and already accomplished. These include Basslink, the Victoria-Tasmania submarine HVDC interconnector; the supply of fibre optic cables for the NBN rollout; and the supply of power cables for the Pluto, Gorgon, Wheatstone, Australia Pacific and Queensland Curtis LNG projects.
“This project reconfirms Prysmian’s worldwide leadership in the strategic high value-added sector of highvoltage cable systems,” adds Marcello Del Brenna, CEO of Prysmian Powerlink. “The Group is strongly committed to support the development of smarter and greener power grids in the growing Asia-Pacific markets and worldwide and is currently involved in some of the most important power transmission cable projects.”
