Stikine Crossing Submarine Cable Contract
Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI), working through Sumitomo Electric USA, has won the Stikine Crossing Submarine Cable Replacement Project from Southeast Alaska Power Agency (SEAPA). This Sumitomo Electric Stikine Crossing submarine cable contract further strengthens SEI’s presence in North America’s power grid renewal market.
The project removes the existing 138 kV oil‑filled (OF) submarine power cable and disposes of it safely. In its place, SEI will install a 69 kV XLPE (cross‑linked polyethylene) submarine cable and all required ancillary equipment. The new system will span about 16,700 feet between Vank and Woronkofski Islands near Wrangell, Alaska. In 2018, SEI delivered a similar replacement for Orcas Power & Light Cooperative in Washington, so the team already understands local conditions.
Throughout execution, SEI plans to keep quality and safety as top priorities. At the same time, the company will refine each project step so it can build more expertise and capture additional U.S. power grid renewal projects, which should increase as utilities upgrade aging infrastructure.
525 kV DC Cable and DC GIS Technology Progress
Beyond the Stikine Crossing work, SEI has also passed an approval test for its 525 kV DC cable system with a DC gas‑insulated switchgear (DC GIS) interface, following CIGRE TB496. This qualification occurred in partnership with Siemens Energy and German cable producer Südkabel.
DC GIS technology offers a compact way to link HVDC cable lines to offshore converter platforms and onshore transition stations. During testing, Südkabel supplied DC XLPE cable made with Sumitomo Electric DC XLPE compound and connected it to SEI’s XLPE cable and joints. The results showed strong compatibility and reliable performance at very high DC voltages, which supports future offshore and onshore HVDC projects.
