Prysmian, a worldwide leading player in the power and TLC cables industry, has signed an engineering, procurement and construction contract worth 23.3 million euros with Emirates Aluminum Company Ltd. (Emal) for the supply and installation of high voltage cables and systems for the world’s largest aluminum smelter facility, under construction in the Taweelah area of Abu Dhabi.

With a total annual capacity of 1.4 million tonnes per year, the new smelter will go a long way toward supplying a shortfall in world aluminium supply.
 “With this contract, Prysmian is set to further strengthen its business in the Middle East region, where it is already carrying out important power cable projects, particularly in the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain,” a Prysmain statement said.
“The Middle East is a key area for Prysmian’s expansion strategy, particularly in high value-added markets, where special products and services are required, including extra-high voltage and submarine cables and systems, industrial cables for the oil and gas industry (on-shore and off-shore) and fire resistant cables for constructions.” 
 Prysmian will supply 22 km of 400 kV cable (one cable circuit, interconnection between Transco network in Taweelah and the Emal smelter) and 20 km of 220 kV cables (21 cable circuits, connections within the Emal smelter). The first cable connection is scheduled for the end of 2008, while the last connection will be energised in January 2010.
 “This contract represents a successful commercial operation, achieved through a strong focus on the customers’ needs and a selective attitude towards the high technological and most challenging projects in the market,” the statement said.
“This is perfectly supported by Prysmian’s wide range of products and over 100 years of systems engineering experience worldwide.”
 In the Middle East region Prysmian has offices and facilities in Dubai and Abu Dhabi (UAE), Doha (Qatar), Manama (Bahrain) and Kuwait.
The most important project Prysmian is currently involved in is the construction of the submarine high voltage power connection between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain with the GCCIA (Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority).
Other relevant projects are: Fujairah (UAE) and Doha main transmission projects (high voltage power cables); Pearl GTL, one of the biggest oil and gas projects started in 2006 in Qatar, and Ras Laffan Gasfield Downstream Development in Qatar, (industrial cables); Burj Dubai, the highest tower in the world (fire protection power cables); Palm Island Dubai - Logo Island interconnection (submarine medium voltage power cables).  
 A leading player in the industry of high-technology cables and systems for energy and telecommunication, the Prysmian Group is a truly global company with sales exceeding five billion euros in 2006 and a strong position in higher-added value market segments.
With its two businesses, Energy Cables & Systems (submarine and underground cables for power transmission and distribution for industrial applications and for the distribution of electricity to residential and commercial buildings) and Telecom Cables & Systems (optical cables and fibres and copper cables for video, data and voice transmission), Prysmian boasts a global presence with subsidiaries in 35 countries, 54 plants in 21 countries, seven R&D centres in Europe, the US and South America, and over 12,000 employees.
Specialising in the development of products and systems designed to meet clients’ specific requirements, Prysmian’s key strengths include a focus on R&D, the capacity to be innovative on products and production processes, and the use of advanced proprietary technologies. Prysmian is listed on the Milan Stock Exchange Blue Chip index.