China helped Russia out with cable for Crimea
Despite Western sanctions, Russia has found a cable supplier for the underwater energy bridge to Crimea. The contract was awarded to the Chinese Jiangsu Hengtong. At the same time, according to "Kommersant", in Asia there was even competition for a contract for Crimea.
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According to the publication, a contract for the manufacture and supply of 220 kV high-voltage cable for the underwater and onshore sections of the crossing with the Chinese Jiangsu Hengtong HV Power System (HTGD) was signed in March. The contract amount was 4,96 billion rubles, half of the amount was paid in advance, and the cable is being manufactured at the plant.
The Crimea energy independence project involves the construction of generation on the peninsula and in Taman, strengthening networks and laying a double-circuit submarine cable under the Kerch Strait. The first stage of the energy bridge, which will allow transmitting 350-400 MW to Crimea.
The implementation of the Crimea energy supply project is hampered by Western sanctions that prohibit companies from supplying equipment to Crimea. “In Russia, high-voltage submarine cables are not produced; no one can ensure import substitution,” says Nikita Topuridze, president of the Sim-Ross group. “We produce underground cables only for 110 kV, and there is no mass production for 220 kV. The main suppliers of submarine cable are Prysmian (a joint project between Nokia and Pirelli), Nexans (France), General Cable (USA). All these are Western companies that cannot supply their products to Crimea.”
HTGD is a large company, says Mr. Topuridze, but until now companies from China have not supplied submarine cable to Russia, and the supplier was most likely chosen due to the lack of an alternative. But, as it turned out, there was even competition among Asian manufacturers for the Crimean contract: as one of the newspaper’s sources says, in addition to HTGD, a South Korean company also applied for cable supplies.
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