Gulf Construction Online - Region’s first MV cable testing unit opened

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Critical tests are carried out for MV cables at the facility.

Region’s first MV cable testing unit opened

01 February 2023

Basec, an independent accredited certification body for the cable industry worldwide, has recently launched services at what is believed to be the first medium-voltage (MV) cable testing facility of its kind in the Middle East and Africa.

As part of its Phase Two expansion, the fully-equipped specialised MV laboratory for cable testing is now operational at Basec’s new regional lab in Dubai.

The new laboratory will significantly increase Basec’s scope of testing to further complement the recent investments made in solar, electric vehicle charging, data communication and compound analytics testing. It also supports manufacturers in the competitive medium-voltage cable market to verify competitive designs and raw materials to ensure that quality is not compromised, says the UK-headquartered authority.

This facility is a milestone on Basec’s roadmap to becoming the preferred testing and certification partner to the worldwide cable industry and builds upon other recent investments to add capability, technology, and global reach, says the company.

The Basec facility has market-leading lab equipment that enables rigorous recurring tests to be carried out.

Tony Lioveri, Basec’s CEO, states: “Basec has been working in partnership with cable manufacturers for over 50 years and has a strong brand and heritage of being the mark of quality and safety. Phase Two investment and extension into medium-voltage testing is another milestone on this journey. The Dubai facility is strategically located to support the global market, as seen from the opening of the low-voltage (LV) lab in 2021. We continue to push our roadmap to establish Basec as a worldwide partner, through our regional offices of dedicated teams of technical experts and superior customer care. Our goal is to give end-users and manufacturers confidence that by using the Basec mark, they can be assured of guaranteed quality and safety throughout the supply chain.”

Akram Abdelwahab, Basec’s Group Technical Manager and Medium Voltage Expert, comments: “With the increase in demand for manufacturing higher volumes of MV cable, Basec MV laboratory will enhance the quality of the MV cable industry by helping both cable manufacturers and stakeholders. Basec offers a full testing solution for the MV cable industry by bringing European quality and cable testing speciality to the Middle East. The unique location will make it easier for all cable manufacturers worldwide, especially those in the Middle East, to send their heavy MV cable samples to Dubai; It will save time and money.”

Basec says it purpose-built the lab to achieve its objective of the highest quality testing in the new MV facility with four earth electrodes to get a low PD sensitivity in the presence of background noise (< 1 pC). It has been built to ensure the lab’s wiring layout is optimised with power isolation. Improved grounding provides effective noise suppression and market-leading lab equipment provides a facility where cables can be subject to rigorous recurring tests and audits with annual surveillance.

Critical tests carried out for MV cables include partial discharge and bending tests; Tan Delta – concerning voltage as well as temperature; heating cycle test; impulse voltage test; DC voltage test on outer sheath; and the adherence of screens at short circuit temperature test.

A global leader in product testing and certification services for the cable industry, Basec caters to numerous sectors including construction, electrical installation and power distribution, rail, marine, oil and gas and renewables.