09
December
2003
|
00:00
Europe/Amsterdam

Pirelli to interconnect power grids of Spain and Morocco

  • PIRELLI awarded the 2003 most important contract in the Energy sector, worth 60 MILLION EUROS
  • a 30KM LONG SUBMARINE link will INTERCONNECT SPAIN AND MOROCCO POWER GRIDS ACROSS THE GIBRALTAR STRAIT
  • INTERCONNECTION BETWEEN EUROPEAN AND AFRICAN POWER GRIDS WILL BE IMPROVED
  • the submarine cable will be manufactured at arco felice (neaples) plant, THE EXCELLENCE CENTER of THE GROUP


Milan , 9 December 2003 - Pirelli has been awarded a contract for realizing - for Moroccan power company L'Office National de l'Electricit and Spanish Red Electrica de Espaa - a turn-key high voltage submarine link that will interconnect Spanish and Moroccan power grids across the Gibraltar Strait and is worth 60 million euros . This contract confirms Pirelli's leadership and technological excellence in the Energy Cables and Systems sector and is the most important for submarine power industry in 2003 . It foresees doubling current submarine power transmission link - realized by Pirelli in 1997 - with overall 90 kilometers of new high voltage cables. The project is very strategic for the region, since it will significantly improve interconnection between power grids of Europe and North Africa : it will therefore allow for better peak load compensations in power demand in Europe , thus preventing black-out risks.

"Pirelli was awarded this very significant contract in a particular market scenario: in fact, the slowing international economic environment has impacted the whole sector with the non-resumption of investments; on the other hand, there is a strong attention on power transmission grids due to recent black-outs all over the world ", commented Valerio Battista, Managing Director of Pirelli Energy Cables and Systems. " This project improves grids interconnection and allows power transmission where needed according to demand peaks ".

Pirelli was awarded such contract after having won, in the last few months, the contests for realizing the " Basslink " - which will interconnect Australian states of Victoria and Tasmania with the world longest submarine power cable - and " Italy-Greece " -which links Italian and Greek power grids - projects. Pirelli saw therefore confirmed its role as the excellence partner for submarine interconnection projects and world leader in the energy cables market . The contract foresees the manufacturing and lying of three oil filled paper submarine power cables, among the most technologically advanced, which - along with existing system - will transmit 1,400 MegaWatts at a voltage of 400 kiloVolts . The project will also include two telecommunication fiber optic cables - each 30 kilometers long - both for system control and broad band data transmission.

The whole contract, which is worth 115 million euros, was awarded to a consortium, whose components are Pirelli and Nexans. Pirelli will manufacture and install with its own cable ship Giulio Verne two submarine power cables and one telecommunication cable. The project is foreseen to be completed by the second half of 2005 .

Submarine cables will be manufactured in the next two years at Italian plant in Arco Felice (Neaples), the world's most advanced excellence center for submarine applications of Pirelli Group.

Finally, the project will be partially financed by European Bank of Investments (BEI) and African Bank of Development (AFDB) .