The City of Cape Town has awarded a second contract to ACTOM Power Systems for the electrical component of an indoor GIS switching station envisaged for network strengthening purposes.
Both the earlier R100-million contract, awarded in November 2021, for a 132kV 20-bay GIS facility at the new Morgen Gronde switching station in Brackenfell and this latest R95-million contract, awarded in September this year, for a 132kV 15-bay GIS installation at the yet-to-be built Triangle switching station in the neighbouring suburb of Triangle Farm collectively form part of an intensive distribution backbone enhancement earmarked to meet the rapidly growing electricity demand in the area.
“Brackenfell is fast becoming a growth hub for data centres, which in addition to their characteristically large electricity consumption offtake, inherently require a stable and secure source of power. Hence the prioritisation of this localised power injection initiative to be achieved in tandem through these new switching stations,” commented John McClure, Power Systems’ General Manager.
Power Systems and its Chinese GIS supplier form a formidable pairing, as both have an excellent track record and a reputable standing in their respective fields.
“An especially noteworthy advantage of the GIS product range tendered is that it not only conforms fully to relevant international IEC standards, but is also highly competitive from a value proposition perspective when compared to the traditionally-sourced European origin equivalents,” John stated.
Other advantages of this GIS product include its relatively compact footprint, resulting in reduced building and real estate requirements, with commensurate savings to the overall project budget.
Also, there is already a considerable installed base of this specific range of 132kV GIS within South Africa, thereby providing a pool of easily assessable references that can offer peace of mind to potential customers.
“Our approach makes use of locally-based service technicians for the GIS installation and commissioning works who have undergone extensive offshore training in this specific range of GIS, which adds another layer of expertise and after-sales service capability to our offering,” John added.
He noted that the City of Cape Town has very exacting specifications and expectations of both the engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) contractors and the electrical equipment it accepts.
“In bidding for the two GIS contracts, we were successful in meeting these requirements, despite not being able to have any face-to-face meetings with either our customer or suppliers over the past couple of years, due to a combination of COVID-related travel and social distancing restrictions. However, a concerted effort is being made to improve on this going forward.
“All negotiations and interactions therefore were conducted through virtual platforms, which was trying at times, as it exacerbated language barriers and prolonged the time needs for all parties to find each other and get up to speed. However, with some perseverance and patience we were able to overcome all these challenges in the end,” John remarked.
Similar to the Morgen Gronde contract, the Triangle job also includes the implementation of a fully automated substation control system that incorporates a protection, telecontrol and SCADA overlay and will be provided by a local subcontractor who specialises in this domain.
In both instances ACTOM group companies Static Power and Electrical Products will supply DC chargers & battery banks and control cable & accessories respectively.
The Morgen Gronde contract is on track for completion in May 2023, while the Triangle contract should follow shortly after by February 2024.
