A Square Kilometre Array South Africa (SKA SA)-led consortium has received 2 251 920 Euros (more than R40,3 million) from Horizon 2020, a European Union (EU) programme for research and innovation.
The funding is being provided to undertake the detailed design of the SKA1_MID infrastructure and power elements in South Africa. The funding will see a total award amount of 5 million Euros handed out by Horizon 2020.
The financial injection will enable activity across the Infrastructure SKA (IN_SKA) programme, including work at the SKA global headquarters in the UK and also within the two teams responsible for delivering the SKA's infrastructure design: Infrastructure Australia, led by Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in partnership with Aurecon Australasia; and Infrastructure South Africa, led by SKA South Africa. This includes the design of the SKA1_MID power network, roads, buildings, antenna foundations, water and sanitation, site monitoring, security, communications and vehicles.
The consortium is led by Tracy Cheetham, general manager: Site Operations and Infrastructure at SKA SA, and comprises of SKA SA staff members, young graduate professionals, retired engineers from the South African Institute for Civil Engineering (SAICE) Development Projects and South African industry partners. This includes 11 engineers/project managers appointed by SKA SA, three young graduate engineers from SAICE and one SKA SA young graduate professional. The team and young graduates are mentored and supported by six retired engineers appointed by the SKA SA through SAICE Development Projects.
“We are extremely pleased and excited to receive this funding to take forward the detailed design of the SKA1_MID infrastructure and power on behalf of the SKAO,” said Cheetham. “It is also a very good opportunity to involve experts and retired engineers, as well as to provide an opportunity to young engineering professionals to hone their skills on a project of this magnitude, which is directly in line with SKA SA's vision of developing science and engineering capacity in South Africa. The SKA SA infrastructure team has excelled and we are all very proud of their achievements, hard work and commitment in an effort to realising the first phase of the SKA in South Africa.”
Cheetham has been at SKA South Africa since 2007 and has been working in the engineering and construction field in South Africa since 1997. Her responsibilities include the design, construction, operations and maintenance of the infrastructure and power for the Karoo Radio Astronomy Observatory which includes the SKA pathfinder, MeerKAT. She is also responsible for the site surveys required for SKA1_MID, acquiring and managing the land required for the SKA and obtaining the necessary construction licences for the construction of SKA1_MID.
The South African industry partners are in the process of being appointed for Stage 2 to assist with the detailed design of the SKA1_MID antenna foundations and the construction of an antenna foundation prototype on site and to undertake the detailed design of the building and power facility upgrades required for SKA1_MID.
The main deliverables for Stage 2 include capital, operations and maintenance cost plan updates; a topographical survey of the SKA1_MID site; a geotechnical and geohydrological investigation of the SKA1_MID site; road maintenance usage reports; radio frequency interference control plans for infrastructure and power sub-elements; a power analysis report; antenna foundation prototype and detailed design; detailed design reports of all infrastructure and power sub-elements; a suite of management plans; and a critical design review.
For more information contact Lorenzo Raynard, SKA SA, +27 (0)71 454 0658, lorenzo@ska.ac.za
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