DUCAB has broken ground last month for a Dh500-million ($136-million) high-voltage factory at its head office in Jebel Ali, marking 30 years of operations in the UAE.

The new factory will be the company’s sixth plant, catering to high-voltage and extra high-voltage projects already planned by Abu Dhabi Electricity and Water Authority (Adwea) and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) as well as projects around the region.

The company also launched the Ducab Special Cable Unit (SCU), expanding Ducab’s capacity for specialised cables suitable for oil and gas projects in the region.

The factory, which will begin commercial operations late 2010, will manufacture cable systems in the 66 kV to 400 kV voltage range, covering the highest voltage currently used in the GCC. With a total built-up area of 22,000 sq m on a 50,000-sq-m plot at the Jebel Ali site, the factory will be the first dedicated high-voltage facility in the region and will have a manufacturing capability of 30,000 tonnes per year (tpy) of cable in the range 66 kV to 400 kV and conductor sizes from 300 sq mm to 2,500 sq mm.

The groung-breaking ceremony was held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Prime Minister and Vice-President and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court and Chairman of the Higher Corporation of Specialised Economic Zones (ZonesCorp), and Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority.