The cable layers

Kelvin Cooper from Olex New Zealand is very pleased our Government and others around the world are spending on infrastructure to stem the effects of the global recession.

“And every major and not so major infrastructure scheme involves cables,” says Cooper who is the industry channel manager at Olex, which is now part of the world’s largest cable manufacturer Nexans.

The company has been “extremely busy” during the past two years, he says, and is optimistic about being involved (if not contracted already) in infrastructure projects as Transpower’s upgrade of the national electricity grid, the upgrade of Wellington’s railway system, and the expansion of Auckland’s Britomart railway lines and that of Eden Park for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

There is also the likely move by Genesis Energy to proceed with its planned 480MW gas-fired power station at Rodney, north of Auckland.

Olex is Australasia’s largest power cable manufacturer, with corporate head office, main manufacturing and product development centres in Victoria, Australia, while New Plymouth remains its sole New Zealand manufacturing facility.

“Now that our global footprint is that much larger with Nexans, we are no longer only at the end of the supply chain, just supplying cables, but are working with clients as much as possible in such things as design and construction, and there’s nothing we will not tackle.”

So while things may slow, the future still looks reasonably bright, he adds.

Cable manufacturer Olex has a finger in so many energy pies throughout New Zealand that it is sometimes difficult keeping track of them all.

As far as energy related contracts go, Olex and Nexans have supplied power or instrumentation cables for a wide variety of applications and at a diverse number of locations – from the offshore Taranaki Pohokura and Kupe gas field projects to geothermal and gas-fired power stations and wind farms, even Antartic wind turbine schemes.

Olex also supplied various cables for Genesis Energy’s new gas-fired power station at Huntly commonly known as e3p (Energy Efficiency Enhancement Project), while they more recently supplied medium voltage and low voltage cables for the onshore Kupe production station near Manaia.

As well, there were some fibre optic and power cables for the Kupe topsides module associated with the offshore platform and the services “umbilical” that carries power and other services about 30 kilometres out from the coast to the platform.

What could prove to be another big contract in Taranaki for Olex is Contact’s Energy’s $250 million 200MW gas peaker plant at Stratford, where site works started earlier this year and construction is about to commence. 

“We are already working with Contact on its gas peaker plant, though the design is not yet completed, as the plant is not due to come on-stream until the winter of 2010. But it’s the biggest project presently in Taranaki,” says Cooper.

The company is also involved with many wind farm projects – from Meridian Energy’s site at Makara, Wellington, to TrustPower’s third stage of development at Tararua, Manawatu, and others in Southland and Waikato.

Geothermal work Olex has done involves several companies and projects at Ngawha, Northland and the central volcanic plateau.

Olex also helped the New Zealand team at Scott Base, Antarctica – supplying cables for the wind turbines the team was installing so their electricity produced on the frozen continent is “more green and less diesel”.

As well, Olex has been involved in the preliminary stages of some tidal or wave power projects around the country.

“Our New Plymouth factory will supply any cables if these projects go ahead,” says Cooper taking an optimistic view of the near future.