ACTOM’s MV Switchgear was in 2022 awarded a contract for GELPAG solid insulated switchgear (SIS) units for underground substations at the Kamoa-Kakula copper mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This follows after two large contracts it has executed over the preceding two years involving the manufacture, supply and installation of air-insulated switchgear (AIS) panels for 11 kV substations at the extensive mine site.
ACTOM MV Switchgear recently supplied 149 GELPAG SIS units for underground substations at the Kamoa-Kakula copper mine.
To date MV Switchgear has produced and supplied 233 SBV4E AIS switchgear panels to the mine to equip surface and underground substations on the site. These have included 140 panels for eight surface substations and 93 panels for five underground substations.
The contract for 149 GELPAG SIS units for eight underground substations, which was awarded in late 2022 for delivery in August 2023, arose from the need to address changes in underground conditions at the mine as mining operations progressed.
“Harsh environmental conditions, such as high levels of humidity and dust, were found to be present in these underground sections, and this led to the need to introduce more specialised switchgear equipped to cope with these conditions,” said Rhett Kelly, MV Switchgear’s Design & Development Manager.
“In such a situation the choice is typically between fixed pattern gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) and solid-dielectric-insulated switchgear (SIS). We were confident in recommending to DRA Global of South Africa, the engineering consultants for the Kamoa project, the GELPAG SIS product for this installation.”
MV Switchgear has seen growing demand for its GELPAG switchgear since introducing it into the local market in late-2020. The division has recently arranged with its overseas-based OEM partner to start local manufacture of some of the product’s ancillary components.
“By taking this step we’ve shortened the production lead times substantially,” Kelly said, “as we can now manufacture the agreed locally produced components in parallel with the OEM’s production of the main product. This speeds up final assembly of the product in our plant as well as delivery to the end-user,” he said.
The Kamoa-Kakula mine will be the first customer to receive GELPAG panels in terms of the new arrangement.
Johan Jordaan, Technology Development Specialist at MV Switchgear said: “The components being manufactured locally now and in the future are the LV compartment, internal arc ducting and the drop-down boxes for the cable terminations.
“While not normally required for the GELPAG product range, customised drop-down boxes have been designed to accommodate the 3-core cable terminations with core balance CTs specified by the customer.
“To further simplify and speed up production and delivery, we’ve developed an LV connector system which allows for the panel’s circuit-breaker, disconnector and earth switch wiring to interface with the LV control wiring via a standard multi-pin plug-and-socket system,” he added.
MV Switchgear has also developed a wiring test rig to enable it to test and verify the wiring of each LV compartment before the GELPAG panels they are to be connected to arrive from abroad.
For more information visit: www.actom.co.za
