ABB to lead Java power line Project

A consortium led by Zurich based ABB, had signed a contract worth about 71 million euros (US$ 65 million) with the Indonesian state electricity supplier PT-PLN (Persero) to build a 309-kilometer power line on the main island of Java, according to ABB?s statement released Friday.

ABB's portion of the contract is worth about 35 million euros (US$ 32 million). The line is part of the extension of the 500 kV ultra-high voltage grid linking new power plants in eastern Java to the cities of Jakarta, Bandung and Yogyakarta.

ABB will lead a group of consortium partners and subcontractors, and provide engineering, design, project management, supply management and logistics for a project that will involve 4,000 workers in more than 750 construction sites.

The order is scheduled for completion within 24 months and includes 750 towers weighing roughly 26,000 tons, 7,500 kilometers of conductors, 380,000 insulators and a ground wire with integral optical fibers for telecommunications transmission. 70 percent of the power line will be installed over rice paddies, which will require a special foundation system ABB has designed for soft soil conditions.

The Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC) is financing the project. The Japanese engineering consultant NEWJEC INC. will assist in supervising the project.(alex)