Alstom unveils future production and R&D site in Sesto San Giovanni, Italy

Alstom Grid today presented its future site for electrical grid bushings to local press and authorities. The building project is currently underway in Sesto San Giovanni, near Milan in Italy and the site is due to open in 2014.

The new plant will cover an area of 9.390 m², including the factory, offices and a new test laboratory - one of the biggest in Europe. This test centre is dedicated to testing bushings for high voltage direct and alternating current (DC and AC) transformers, aimed at global power transformer manufacturers, as well as wall bushings used in worldwide utilities DC yards. In line with Alstom commitment in sustainable growth, the new plant has been submitted for LEED¹ certification.

Alstom is investing 34 million in the project, 11 million of which will be allocated to the development and industrialisation of innovative technologies such as High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) and Resin Impregnated Paper² (RIP). The new plant will be Alstom Grids worldwide competence centre for the research, development and production of transformer bushings (DC and AC), wall bushings, gas-insulated substation bushings and high-voltage generator bushings.

Around 120 people will work on the new facilities, including 30 experts dedicated to research and development. The site will also host all operations currently based on Alstom Grids Milan site.

About Alstom
Alstom is a global leader in the world of power generation, power transmission and rail infrastructure and sets the benchmark for innovative and environmentally friendly technologies. Alstom builds the fastest train and the highest capacity automated metro in the world, provides turnkey integrated power plant solutions and associated services for a wide variety of energy sources, including hydro, nuclear, gas, coal and wind, and it offers a wide range of solutions for power transmission, with a focus on smart grids. The Group employs 93,000 people in around 100 countries. It had sales of over 20 billion and booked close to 24 billion in orders in 2012/13.

Alstom Grid has one clear vision: to develop innovative solutions for a flexible, reliable, affordable and sustainable electrical grid, everywhere. We design, manufacture, install and service the power transmission and distribution products and systems that empower the planets low carbon economy... for now and for the future.
Alstom Grid has over 130 years experience and ranks among the top three in the electrical transmission sector with an annual sales turnover of more than 4 billion. Alstom Grids 19,000 employees are spread across 88 manufacturing and engineering sites worldwide and have one common mission: be our customers trusted partner, from the source to the city.
We are energising a smarter world with Alstom.

Alstom Grid Italy currently employs 400 people across three plants, including Noventa di Piave (Venezia district) plant, an excellence centre for high-voltage disconnectors with research and development teams as well as manufacturing site for hybrid solutions and circuit breakers. The Alstom Group has been present in Italy since 1998 with 13 units and has approximately 3,500 people working in the domains of power generation, transmission and railway transport. In the financial year 2012/2013, the company turnover in Italy reached 1 billion.

Press contact
Daniela Pradella Alstom (Italy) Tel. +39 02 243484493, +39 348 2586205
daniela.pradella@alstom.com

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¹ LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design: is the independent, third-party verification that a building, home or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

² Resin-impregnated paper (RIP) is used for bushings and transformers as part of insulated housing to reduce risks of damage, fire and explosion. Its advantage is a dry insulation system, where the resin prevents any air bubbles from being trapped between layers of paper, rather than the oil used in other designs.