Electrical Engineering Solutions

The municipal power supply to the Consol Bellville, Cape Town, factory was recently upgraded in record time in a complex logistical operation that depended on optimal collaboration of all involved – Besamandla (Western Cape), the electricity services of Cape Town municipality, Consol and the engineers and project managers Electrical Engineering Solutions (EES).

The installation of the 4 x 825m 11kV XLPE cable that crossed five erven, including the properties of three private companies, and a railway line was practially completed in three weeks from getting on site and was functionally completed within another month. Planning the operation took three months.

Bradley Hemphill, managing director of EES, says a project of this complexity would usually have taken at least twice as long.

“The pressure was on to install the new cable as quickly as possible because the main electricity cables supplying the Consol site were more than 30years old. Each time a cable failed a significant portion of loadneeded to be shed for the duration of the repair to minimise furtherdeterioration of the remaining stressed cables. ”

“The cables were failing to deliver uninterrupted power to the glassfurnaces, potentially impacting production output and turnover.  Thiswas becoming risky, particulary in the climate of load shedding.”

Hemphill said that all those involved in the project immediatelyappreciated its urgency and opted to collaborate in the most productiveway possible.

“Processes were streamlined and everyone worked beyond the call ofduty. It was a superb example of how a public/private partnership,given the right incentives and leadership, can excell.”

The old cables were left operational and in place while new trencheswere dug in which to lay a sleeve network for the new cables.  Thismeant that the disruption caused to Consol’s neighbours was minimisedbecause the basic laying down of the infrastrucuture could proceedquickly and be covered over, and the cable pulling could happen laterwith minimum impact by accessing the buried sleeve through dedicatedmanholes.

But digging the new trenches had considerable challenges as existingpower and telephone cable neworks, water and sewerage pipes, stormwaterdrains, a railway line and minor roads along the route needed to beidentified and worked around.

Hemphill says there was also a “ element of relationship managementinvolved in the project, specifically with the enterprises whose landwe traversed. We had to ensure the security of the property of both thecompanies and their employees during the entire operation.”

“We were acutely aware that the project was disrupting theirenvironment and operations and we worked hard to mimimise theinconvenience to them of having their parking lots dug up, havingstrangers on their property and the noise.”

He believes that thorough preparation together with extensive knowledgeof all the logistical, legal and bureaucratic hurdles inevitable in aproject this size ensured efficient management and prompt completion ofthe installation.

Consol Bellville’s technical manager Craig Findlay says that the rapidinstallation of the new power cables was a high priority for thecompany.

“With the older cables we were concerned that power to our furnacescould be disrupted.  We are .now secure in the reliability of our powersupply and are able to more confidently deliver beyond our customers’expectations.”