An ABB-led consortium led has signed a Euro 71 million (US$65 million) contract with the Indonesian state electricity supplier PT- PLN (Persero) to build a 309-km (192-mile) power line on the main island of Java. ABB's portion of the contract is worth about Euro 35 million (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 Yogyakarta, Jakarta and Bandung.

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 4000 workers in more than 750 construction sites.

The order is scheduled for completion within 24 months and includes 750 towers, 7500 km (4660 miles) of conductors, 380,000 insulators and a ground wire with integral optical fibers for telecommunications transmission. About 70% 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 is financing the project. The Japanese engineering consultant NEWJEC Inc. will assist in supervising the project.
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