MechChem Africa September 2018

⎪ Power generation, sustainable energy and energy management ⎪

Raubex Infra, the infrastructure services specialist, is looking forward to increased participation in the renewable energy sector, making its expertise available to photovoltaic, concentrated solar and wind energy projects. Infrastructure specialists welcome return of renewable energy

“Our capabilities and flexibility enable us to meet market requirements, and over the last couple of yearswe have been extensively involved in civilswork, including streets, side- walks, bulkwater facilities and telecommuni- cations installations,” he says. Applying available technology innova- tively, Raubex Infra’s civils division recently stabilised and rehabilitated the gravel road between Douglas and Campbell using a dust suppressant down to a depth of 150 mm. Aside from ensuring a safer more driveable road surface, this will reduce future main- tenance costs. At a private game reserve in Limpopo Province, both paved and concrete roads have been constructed and cables laid for Internet connectivity. Projects in the pipeline include a road rehabilitation and reseal contract between Vanzylsrus and Hotazel, a storm water pond at Lufhereng in Soweto, a water treatment project in Bloemfontein, a water pipeline project at Vanwyksvlei and a borehole con- tract at Carnarvon. In themining sector, the division conduct- edmass earthworks for a newrun-of-mine tip structure for Tronox’sNamakwa Sands heavy minerals mine at Brand-se-Baai on South Africa’s Western Cape coast. This contract included thebuildingof a3.0kmtrunk road to

accommodate the new conveyor belt. Laying optical fibre cables for local and national connectivity networks is a vital specialisation of Raubex Infra, both within South Africa and in African countries. Danie Marais, operations director of the company’s telecommunications and special projects division, says work often takes them north of the border with extensive work carried out in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of Congo. “As the only company in South Africa with specialised equipment to conduct direct lay- ingofducting,weofferhighlevelsofefficiency and economy for long distance cable installa- tion,” Marais says. “With our equipment and expertise our teams can cover up to 9.0 km per day.” Completed contracts include the supply and installationof over 1000 kmof backbone network across Zambia as well as several smaller projects, including layingfibre cable in theChingola-Solwezi region innorthwestern Zambia. “With several specialised divisions within Raubex Infra, it is easy to draw from this ex- pertise and offer integrated solutions across various disciplines,” Steenkamp says. “This broad capability and experience ensures ef- ficiency at all levels.” q

T he long-awaited signing earlier this year of power offtake agreements with independent power producers is likely to boost Raubex Infra’s con- tribution in the renewable energy sector, ac- cording tomanagingdirector, EanSteenkamp. Raubex Infra had previously been in- volved in renewable energy projects as part of the government’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). “We are looking for- ward to our increased participation in this exciting sector,makingour expertiseavailable tophotovoltaic energyprojects, concentrated solar power projects and wind energy proj- ects, among others,” says Steenkamp. Providing a range of infrastructure ser- vices fromcivils and electrical to telecommu- nications and rail, Raubex Infra specialises in executing turnkeyprojects. These areoften in niche areas with demanding time constraints and technical complexities. Among its recent work in solar power was a contract to drill and cast 28 000 con- NorthernCape. The contract required regular reinforceddrive piles and consumed3000m 3 of concrete footing. The company was also responsible for the electrical, instrumenta- tion and control installation on this project. This included almost 15 000m 3 of civil works and trenching, as well as laying and terminat- ing 211 000 m of fibre and Ethernet cables. Mediumvoltage and low voltage cables were also laid and terminated. “Our experience allows us to undertake projects of various sizes in South Africa and across its borders,” Steenkamp says. A recent project completed inLesothowas the turnkey installation of a 105 kWrooftop photovoltaic (PV) system. This includedmechanical instal- lation of substructures, modules, cabling, inverters and control systems through tofinal commissioning. As an example of a smaller project, Steenkamp says Raubex Infra recently de- signed, supplied, installed and commissioned a 64 kW ground-mounted PV system in Boksburg, Gauteng. Ean Steenkamp, managing director of Raubex Infra.

Raubex Infra’s 105 kW rooftop PV solar installation for Vodacom in Lesotho.

September 2018 • MechChem Africa ¦ 27