JJ-LAPP CABLE WINS DEAL IN LANDMARK PROJECT IN THAILAND

Singapore, 30 March 2011 – JJ-Lapp Cable, a Regional Business Unit of leading industrial enterprise Jebsen & Jessen (SEA), has announced a partnership with Natural Energy Development Co Ltd (NED) in Thailand to provide cables for one of the world’s largest thin-film solar power plants.

Many countries in Southeast Asia are looking towards the rapid development of solar power as a renewable energy, including Thailand’s Board of Investment. It recently awarded THB 9bn to NED to construct the Lopburi Solar Power Plant, which features the world’s largest thin-film solar photovoltaic (PV) facilities. JJ-Lapp Cable will supply a total of 1,200km of ÖLFLEX®Solar XLR Cable, which  will be used to transmit the DC current from the PV panel to the airway box which is extended to the inverter. Cable specifications were approved by NED and a consortium in December 2010.

Located in Thailand’s central province of Lopburi, the plant will have a power generation capacity of 73 megawatts (MW) in the first phase of construction, and an additional 11 MW in phase two, bringing total generation capacity up to 84 MW. When completed, it is expected to be one of the world’s largest power plants in terms of power generation, ahead of facilities in Germany and Spain which currently produces 54 MW and 60 MW respectively. A 280 MW solar power plant is expected to be completed in Arizona, USA, by end 2011.

The plant will comprise half a million solar panels and is expected to reduce carbon emissions by over 1.3 million tons annually. It will also reduce the need for imported fuel by over 35,000 tons a year. The Lopburi plant is also the first development of its kind to gain assistance from the Asian Development Bank, under the organisation’s initiative to provide financial support to alternative energy projects worldwide to encourage sustainable development and reduce global warming.

“The supply of 1,200km of cables for the Lopburi Solar Power Plant is by far the largest deal in the area of renewable energy for us,” said Mr Kongkarn Paseepol, JJ-Lapp Cable (Thailand) Area Sales Manager, who is the project lead. “Our products meet the stringent requirements from our customer that the cable is designed and conforms to TUV’s 2 Pfg 1169/08.2007 requirements for cables to be used in photovoltaic systems and a life expectancy of 25 years. TUV is an independent and neutral organization recognized around the world a symbol of trust, safety and quality. Construction for the solar power plant began in August last year and will be carried out in two phases, with operations commencing by end 2011.