Nexans will supply new generation aluminum alloy conductors for five new 300 MW transmission lines to reinforce the power infrastructure in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. The company has been awarded a 26 million Euro contract by EBTE, the Alupar company responsible for the construction and development of the electric power infrastructure in the Brazil state of Mato Grosso, to supply AAAC (All Aluminium Alloy Conductor) for the construction of five new 230-kV overhead transmission lines with a total length of 775 km.

EBTE was the winner of the public auction held by ANEEL, the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Authority for a project to reinforce the power infrastructure in Mato Grosso, in Midwest Brazil. The project (ANEEL 04/2008 Group D) will provide additional transmission capacity to handle the output of a number of new power generation projects that will contribute to Mato Grosso’s economic development as well as increasing Brazil’s national power generation capacity. It comprises five new 300-MW overhead power transmission lines: Juba – Maggi – Juina (447 km); Maggi – Parecis (106 km); Nova Mutum – Sorriso – Sinop (222 km).

“The Mato Grosso project is an excellent example of Nexans’ capability to draw on our wide portfolio of overhead conductor designs to provide the ideal cost-effective solution to meet a customer’s specific technical needs and installation schedules”, said Jorge Tagle, Nexans Executive Vice President South America Area.

Nexans’ AAAC overhead conductors replace the steel core and pure aluminum outer layers found in conventional ACSR (Aluminium Conductor Steel Reinforced) conductors with aluminum alloys. This conductor is both lighter and stronger than ACSR, making it ideal for long spans, as well as being more resistant to corrosion. The use of AAAC will enable EBTE to reduce the total number of pylons required for the project by around eight per cent.

Each overhead transmission line will comprise three phases, so Nexans will supply a total length of around 2,350 km of conventional round wire AAAC with a cross-section of 456 mm2. The conductors, which will be manufactured at Nexans’ Lorena Plant in Brazil, are scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2009, while EBTE plans to begin operation in the second half of 2010.