Borouge and Borealis highlight HVDC cable solutions in China

Borouge and Borealis, leading providers of innovative, value creating plastics solutions to the global wire and cable industry, together with Shanghai Electric Cable Research Institute (SECRI), successfully held a HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) seminar on 17-18 October 2013 in Shanghai, China.

Some 50 international and national experts, from cable making companies, research institutes and utilities took with high interest note of the latest HVDC cable system technology and applications. Key HVDC aspects were presented by speakers from the State Grid Zhoushan Utility, China Southern Power Grid Guangdong Power Grid Corporation, Fujian Yongfu Project Consultant Co., National Center for Quality Supervision & Test of Wire and Cable, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Tennet, KUL Leuven, Borealis, and others.

Roland Janssen, Vice President Marketing Centre Wire & Cable at Borouge, and Wei Dong, Head of SECRI, revealed in their welcoming speeches the importance of HVDC development. HVDC cables have been introduced as a new type of environmental-friendly and energy-saving power cable as it enables efficient power supply over long distances. Wei Dong explained that the HVDC technology is a breakthrough development in efficiently connecting renewable energy to the existing power GRIDs.

“Especially China experiences huge development potential as it is currently witnessing a fast economic growth and big demand for electric energy,” continued Wei Dong. Roland Janssen underlined further that Borouge and Borealis, leading worldwide suppliers to HVDC cable makers, have 15 years of experience with Borlink™ HVDC materials.  These cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) compounds distinguished with special electrical and superior processing characteristics are inevitable for HVDC cables.

The Borlink technology is a step-change innovative solution along the wire and cable value chain. It includes a tailor-made and unique high pressure process for the production of high purity and super clean low density polyethylene (LDPE) base polymers with superior electrical properties.

Borouge and Borealis commit to the increasing global demand for XLPE (Cross-Linked Polyethylene) through their current and future investments in Borlink technology. Borouge will be producing 350,000 tonnes of LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) per year at its new plant being built in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi, as part of the Borouge 3 expansion project. This will be a significant similar addition to Borealis’ high pressure LDPE plant that was inaugurated in Sweden in 2010. This investment in LDPE production spearheads Borouge’s ability to also manufacture innovative Borlink XLPE solutions for the global wire and cable market.