Tognum provides emergency power supply for Cairo International Airport

• New airport tower to be equipped with mtu Onsite Energy emergency power supply gensets
• Strategically important contract for onsite energy business in the Middle East

Friedrichshafen, 20 January 2009. The specialist for propulsion and power solutions Tognum has recently been awarded a strategically important onsite energy contract by international construction firm Orascom Construction Industries. Tognum is to furnish a new airport tower at Cairo International Airport – the airport with the second highest passenger numbers on the African continent – with two emergency power supply gensets.

These mtu Onsite Energy gensets are designed to supply the new tower, which is scheduled to start operating in June, with emergency power whenever outages occur. Tognum is thereby taking another important step ahead in the expansion of their onsite energy business in the Middle East.

“This contract is highly important for Tognum, particularly from a strategic point of view. It sends out a positive signal for further orders in the growing North African and Middle East region“, explains Christof von Branconi, member of the executive board and COO of Tognum AG with responsibility for the business unit Onsite Energy & Components. “The fact that we are supplying an entire emergency power supply genset and not just the engine, once again demonstrates our system competence.“

The emergency power supply gensets equipped with 12V 4000 G63 engines deliver a total of 4,000 kVA electrical power. Should the power supply in the tower fail, the mtu Onsite Energy gensets ensure air traffic control continues as required.

Strict regulations apply to the technical requirements imposed on the operation of gensets for airport control towers. These affect, in particular, the stability of both voltage and frequency when activating a variety of consumer units, e.g. elevators, lighting or IT systems. Also, sound insulation is used in the intake and exhaust air areas in order to keep well below the maximum permitted noise emission limits.

Cairo International Airport, which has been managed by German Fraport AG since 2004, is currently being expanded with the construction of a third terminal scheduled to be taken into operation in mid-June. Due to its favorable location, the airport, which was nominated “Airport of the Year 2006” by the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), is an important hub between Africa, the Middle East and Europe, clearing more than 10 million passengers each year. Since 2007, the airport has been capable of accommodating the new Airbus model A380.