27 October, 2011

Prysmian Group has won a contract to supply TIM CELULAR S.A. Brasil (a subsidiary of TIM Brasil S.A.) with more than 1,200 km of Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) telecom cables. The cables will be installed on the important Tucuruí–Macapá–Manaus transmission line as part of the “LT Amazonas” infrastructural modernisation project.

The Tucuruí-Macapá-Manaus line, also known as “The Big Line” and located on the left bank of the Amazon River, is over 1,800 km long. Its purpose is to enhance the electricity system in the north of the country by connecting the capital cities of the Amazon and Amapá regions to Brazil’s second largest hydroelectric plant, located in Tucuruí. The connection will consist of seven transmission lines and eight substations involving an overall investment of more than €1,200 million.

The overhead OPGW cables, manufactured for this project at the Brazilian Sorocaba plant and containing 36 optical fibres, serve the dual role of both earth conductor and communications cable, with the optical fibres providing a state of the art high-speed data transmission system carrying voice, internet & data traffic.