Borealis and Borouge, leading providers of innovative, value-creating polyolefin solutions for the global wire and cable industry, announce the inauguration on 21 March 2018 of the newly expanded high voltage (HV) electrical testing facilities at the Borealis Innovation Centre in Stenungsund, Sweden. EUR four million have been invested in order to expand and equip the facility with cutting-edge testing equipment, which is unique among polymer producers. The facility enables Borealis and Borouge to continue their position as industry innovation leaders in the most demanding segments of wire and cable. It also opens up new opportunities for collaboration with customers and value chain partners.
The wire and cable laboratories in Stenungsund have been important development centres for cable insulation products since 1970, when the first Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cable insulation products were produced at the Stenungsund plant. The scope of testing activities has been expanding steadily over decades, starting with testing on electrical cables and cable extrusion lines in 1986. In 2009, a new three-layer Continous Vulcanisation (CV) extrusion line was installed. The completion of this most recent two-year investment project in electrical testing now significantly expands the range of testing activities.
The newly enhanced Stenungsund HV testing centre offers alternate current (AC) and direct current (DC) simulation testing for the
performance of commercial cable materials in the medium (MV), high (HV), and extra high voltage (EHV) ranges. When developing innovative new materials, testing is crucial to help ensure material safety and promote quality assurance. Within the framework of customer and value-chain cooperation, the HV testing centre can also open up an entire spectrum of new project types, and can accelerate the time to market for new innovations.
“We are extremely pleased to inaugurate our expanded Stenungsund facility – and not only because we are proud to offer truly
cutting-edge testing equipment. These local facilities will allow us to step up collaboration with our global customers and value chain partners to become even more innovative,” says Bart Verheule, Borealis Head of Marketing, Energy. “They also boost Stenungsund as a hub for wire and cable expertise and production. Investments like this are proof of our commitment to set the bar ever higher in our aim to bring energy all around.”
Increased demand for electricity, growing urbanisation, the efficient supply of energy from renewable sources, and the interconnectivity of power grids are just a few of the trends driving the wire and cable industry. To meet and even anticipate these trends, Borealis and Borouge continue to invest in research and development and testing to deliver step-change solutions based on proprietary technologies.
Collaboration with customers and value chain partners takes place for the mutual advancement of electrical competence, but has also been a key factor in providing improved material solutions that support the global energy industry in their efforts to implement more sustainable technologies. For one, transmission technology must ensure the efficient connection of remote, clean energy sources to the grid. Here, Borealis has built on its years of operational experience in extruded HVDC materials and its proprietary Borlink™ technology to set ever higher standards in proven system performance, setting a new world record of 640 kilovolt (kV) for extruded HVDC cable technology in 2017. The tailor-made Borlink compounds used for these cables are produced in Stenungsund.
To learn more about the exciting work taking place at the newly expanded Stenungsund HV testing centre, and other Borealis and Borouge Innovation Centres, visit us at Stand D72 in hall 10 at the 2018 WIRE Düsseldorf, Germany taking place from 16-20 April 2018.
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For further information please contact:
Virginia Mesicek
External Communications Manager
tel.: +43 1 22 400 772 (Vienna, Austria)
e-mail: virginia.mesicek@borealisgroup.com
Borealis and Borouge: Bringing Energy all around
For over 50 years, Borealis has been a leading provider of polyolefin compounds for the global wire and cable industry. Its large portfolio of products and services is based on unique and proprietary technologies that create real value for customers and enable step-change innovations. A broad range of sophisticated extra-high, high and medium voltage cable applications as well as semi-conductive products are made possible by Borealis’ Borlink™ technology. Borealis’ Visico™/Ambicat™ technology is used in low voltage energy transmission and distribution cable solutions, where it helps extend the lifetime of cable systems. Capacitor film products are consistently and qualitatively enhanced by Borealis’ leading polypropylene (PP) material solutions.
About Borealis and Borouge
Borealis is a leading provider of innovative solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers. With its head office in Vienna, Austria, the company currently has around 6,600 employees and operates in over 120 countries. Borealis generated EUR 7.5 billion in sales revenue and a net profit of EUR 1,095 million in 2017. Mubadala, through its holding company, owns 64% of the company, with the remaining 36% belonging to Austria-based OMV, an integrated, international oil and gas company. Borealis provides services and products to customers around the world in collaboration with Borouge, a joint venture with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). Borealis and Borouge aim to proactively benefit society by taking on real societal challenges and offering real solutions. Both companies are committed to the principles of Responsible Care®, an initiative to improve safety performance within the chemical industry, and work to solve the world’s water and sanitation challenges through product innovation and their Water for the World programme.
For more information visit:
www.borealisgroup.com
www.borouge.com
www.waterfortheworld.net
Borstar is a registered trademark of the Borealis Group
Ambicat, Borlink and Visico are trademarks of the Borealis Group
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