By Andy Sambridge
Other stories: World’s 10 largest oilfield technology companies | World’s 10 largest petrochemicals companies | Oil industry giants: ADNOC | Oil industry giants: Saudi Aramco | Top 10 MENA Region mega projects | Top 10 billion dollar oil deals of the summer | 2009’s winners and losers in the oil industry | 10 events in oil’s history that shook the world | Top 10 Gulf mega projects | Top 10 largest publicly traded oil companies | World’s 10 largest oilfield services companies | World’s 10 largest oil and gas contractors
UAE cable manufacturer Ducab has started work on a new $136.1 million factory to help expand public sector electricity networks.
Located in the Jebel Ali area, the new facility is a joint venture with Dubai’s Water and Electricity Authority (DEWA) and Abu Dhabi’s Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA), each holding a 25 percent stake, the company said.
The new factory will be Ducab’s sixth plant, catering to high-voltage and extra high-voltage projects already planned by ADWEA and DEWA as well as projects around the region.
As well as the new factory, the company also officially launched the Ducab Special Cable Unit (SCU).
This new unit will significantly expand Ducab’s capacity for specialised cables suitable for oil and gas projects in the region.
“Ducab is a perfect example of what joint initiatives between Dubai and Abu Dhabi can achieve,” said Ahmed Al Shaikh, chairman of Ducab.
The new factory is already underway and commercial operations will commence in late 2010, he added.
The factory will be the first dedicated high voltage facility in the region and will have a manufacturing capability of 30,000 tonnes per year of cable.
“As our regional economies continue to grow, the need for electricity and power infrastructure grows too,” added Al Shaikh. “The Ducab HV factory is designed to meet these needs supporting ADWEA, DEWA and other regional utilities with the highest quality High Voltage and Extra High Voltage cables.”
Ducab, which is celebrating 30 years in business, employs more than 900 staff. With a manufacturing capacity of 110,000 tonnes annually, Ducab’s market share is about 50 percent locally, with substantial exports to other GCC countries.
Ducab’s tailor-made, advanced-cable solutions have laid the foundation for major projects ranging from world-renowned hotels to hospitals to government utilities.
Some of the landmark projects powered by Ducab include the Burj Dubai, Palm Jumeriah, Dubai Metro, Gasco Ruwais, Delhi Metro, Lulu Island Bahrain, and Ras Laffan Qatar.
