Nexans, a global leader in the design and manufacturing of cable systems and services, has secured a major framework agreement with RTE (Réseau de Transport d’Electricité), France’s Transmission System Operator, that calls for the supply, installation, and commissioning of some 730 km of HVDC cable.

A press release said that the project will require 450 km of subsea cables and 280 km of onshore cables to support the connection of three offshore wind farms: the Center Manche 1 & 2 and Oléron, to the French transmission network. The value of the agreement was said to top

€1 billion, depending on the final quantities to be agreed upon and the subcontractors to be appointed during the next phase leading to the signature of each EPCI contract.

This landmark agreement with RTE reinforces Nexans’ role in the energy transition in Europe, said Nexans CEO Christopher Guérin. “By delivering state-of-the-art transmission solutions, we are not only supporting France’s ambitious offshore wind targets but also strengthening the resilience and sustainability of the power grid.”

In other news, Nexans reported that the company will participate as a partner in the Shift2DC project, a winner of the Horizon Europe program for research and innovation.

The Shift2Dc project aims to accelerate the adoption of Direct Current (DC) technology in both medium- and low-voltage electrical systems. By enhancing efficiency and sustainability, the initiative seeks to modernize energy distribution while ensuring the reliability of key components, such as cables, converters, micro-converters, measurement devices, and switching equipment.

Nexans’ participation in the Shift2DC project represents a major opportunity to develop cables suited for DC installations, particularly for future buildings. These solutions will incorporate advanced functionalities to ensure safety and optimal interaction with the grid.

Through R&D and pilot project experiments, Nexans is committed to designing high-performance, sustainable DC cables. This development relies on a strategic selection of polymers and formulations, optimized transit capacity management, and an eco-design approach considering conductor selection, product size, and recyclability. The objective is to optimize cable lifecycle while integrating innovations that facilitate installation and rapid on-site connections.

The first prototypes, intended for qualification phases, will be produced at the Grimsås pilot plant in Sweden. Nexans will assess the performance of the new DC cables, followed by real-world testing in pilot projects.

Norwegian aluminum producer Nork Hydro ASA (Hydro) announced that it plans to invest approximately $156 million in a new facility at its aluminum smelter in Karmoy, Norway, to supply aluminum wire for power cables in Europe.

A wire story said that the new wire rod casthouse in Karmoy will have a capacity of 110,000 metric tons per year, Hydro said in a statement. “By expanding the capacity to deliver low-carbon aluminum from Norway to the EU, we help ensure that the infrastructure, the very backbone of the future energy system, supports both Europe’s security and climate policy goals,” Hydro CEO Eivind Kallevik said.

Per the company’s website, Hydro has operations in some 50 countries and accounts for 40% of the aluminum produced in Europe.

Twentsche Kabelfabriek BV (TKF) reports that it has signed a contract to supply Luxcara with the cable it needs for the Waterkant offshore wind farm in the German North Sea.

A press release from the Dutch company said that TKF will be responsible for the 66 kV inter-array aluminum core cables and accessories, totaling 130 km. The supply scope includes the engineering, manufacturing, testing, and delivery of the inter-array cables and corresponding accessories needed for Waterkant offshore installations and Amprion’s converter platform.

The subsea cables will be produced in TKF’s carbon-neutral factory in Eemshaven, the Netherlands. The Waterkant offshore wind farm will be built on site N-6.7, located in the German Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ). The site is located next to a cluster of existing offshore wind farms approximately 90 km from the island of Borkum.

Luxcara, described as an independent German asset manager for clean energy infrastructure projects, has chosen 16 of the world’s most powerful offshore wind turbines. The maker, Ming Yang Smart Energy, notes that each turbine to be installed will have 18.5 MW capacity.

Prysmian reported that loading of submarine cable for Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project onto its new ship, the Monna Lisa, at the company’s Arco Felice plant in Italy.

A press release said that the keel-laying ceremony for the Monna Lisa—a sister vessel to Leonardo da Vinci—had been held in Tulcea, Romania, in April 2023, to mark the start of construction, which took around 24 months. VARD launched the 171-meter vessel at the beginning of June 2024, after completing steel cutting, keel laying, generator installation, and hull erection. The CLV then began its journey of 4,000 nautical miles from Romania to Norway, towed down the Danube River, across the Mediterranean Sea, and up the coast of Portugal and Spain to VARD’s shipyard in Søvik to undertake final fit-out and trials.

Prysmian reported on February 6 that the vessel had joined its fleet. The company is providing three three-core 220 kV HVAC export cables measuring approximately 62 km, with XLPE insulation and single-wire armoring, for a total of approximately 560 km, while DEME is in charge of overseeing the complete offshore installation works for the foundations, substations, infield cables, and part of the export cables.

The 2.6 GW CVOW project will feature 176 Siemens Gamesa 14 MW wind turbines and will become the biggest U.S. offshore wind farm once in operation. In February, Dominion Energy revealed that the wind farm was approximately 50% complete and remains on track for on-time completion at the end of 2026.

Regarding issues of wind energy project permits, the CVOW project had been approved. However, the status of other such projects was not clear.

Essex Solutions has seen substantial growth in demand for special winding wire that has propelled the U.S. subsidiary of LS Group to record impressive growth in its transformer wire sector, with an average annual growth rate of 11% in North America and 8% in Europe over the past four years, and much more than that by 2028.

Per multiple media reports, Essex Solutions sees continued strong demand for transformers driven by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and the replacement cycle for approximately 70% of transformers in the United States. In response, Essex Solutions is operating its production lines at its Canadian and Italian plants at full capacity.

Essex Solutions also recently added two production lines to its North American manufacturing facilities, aiming to expand its production capacity from the current 3,500 tons to 8,500 tons by 2030, marking a 143% increase. Similarly, its European plant plans to boost production capacity from 11 thousand tons to a maximum of 15 thousand tons through improved operational efficiency and the replacement of outdated equipment.

The company’s expansion strategy is a response to continuous demand growth in North American and European markets. It expects to grow from the current 19% and 28% rates to 50% and 35%, respectively, by 2028. “We will solidify our position in the global market, including North America and Europe, by actively responding to diverse customer needs based on innovations in transformer winding wire manufacturing technology and efficient facility investments,” the release said.

The special winding wire industry for transformers typically operates by securing orders for production in three to six-month intervals. However, currently extending delivery times beyond two years due to a supply shortage—a situation expected to persist until 2030—this supply-demand imbalance is anticipated to drive rapid sales growth due to increased demand.

Prysmian has formed a partnership with Dow to advance the production of the company’s Sirocco® microduct cables that uses Dow’s AXELERON™ telecom cable compound.

A press release explained that the partnership will help Prysmian achieve its goals. “Through our partnership with Dow, we’re able to evolve and improve on our product lines continuously, helping our customers achieve solutions that are not only environmentally conscious but better for their bottom line,” said Patrick Jacobi, vice president for telecom at Prysmian North America.

AXELERON is a black, UV-stabilized HDPE cable jacket material designed for power and telecom applications and ensures a low coefficient of friction (COF) and extremely low shrinkage. This enables an extremely high fiber count in smaller diameter cables and increases cable installation efficiency offering excellent toughness, weather resistance, and high-speed extrusion processing.

Of note, Dow’s AXELERON cable compound and Prysmian’s Sirocco microduct cable were recognized as a winning co-development technology in the 2024 R&D 100 Awards in the Mechanical/Materials category. The program identifies and celebrates the top 100 revolutionary technologies of the year and is considered a prestigious award in the research and development communities.

To facilitate the growing need for Sirocco cables in the U.S., Prysmian has made significant investments across its North American footprint, including a $30 million investment in its factory in Jackson, Tennessee. The site has been retooled from producing legacy copper to fiber optic cable production. A $50 million multi-year modernization project at Prysmian’s Claremont fiber facility has also enhanced process capabilities, systems and technologies to support future growth.

ZTT Submarine Cable & System (ZTTSC) has been awarded an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for China’s Yangjiang Fanshi II offshore wind project.

Per an article posted at www.offshorewind.biz, ZTTSC will deploy a 500 kV three-core AC submarine cable system, stretching 92 km to transmit 1,000 MW of renewable power from the offshore wind farm to onshore grids. The project represents one of the most advanced and large-scale offshore wind cable installations in the industry.

The 1 GW Yangjiang Fanshi II offshore wind farm is being developed and owned by China’s CGN Wind Energy Limited. The project is planned for the South China Sea, Guangdong, China, with construction expected to commence in 2025 and commercial operation anticipated in 2029.

LS Cable & System (LS C&S), South Korea’s largest cable manufacturer, reports that it has won a $137 million contract for it to supply high-voltage cables for a project in Singapore.

 A press release said that the deal, signed with Singapore’s power supply authority, is part of a major energy infrastructure project aimed at transmitting solar-generated electricity from Indonesia to Singapore.

LS C&S will provide 230-kV cables for an underground transmission section, with responsibilities covering manufacturing, construction and installation.

 Per a report in The Korea Herald, the company said it is negotiating an additional contract potentially worth $105 million for more underground cable sections. It is exploring a partnership with Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, Vietnam’s state-run energy supplier, to transmit wind-generated electricity from a Vietnamese wind farm to Singapore via undersea cables. LS C&S expects the recent deals to pave the way for expansion into Southeast Asia’s cable submarine cable sector.

Norwegian aluminum producer Nork Hydro ASA (Hydro) announced that it plans to invest approximately $156 million in a new facility at its aluminum smelter in Karmoy, Norway, to supply aluminum wire for power cables in Europe.

A wire story said that the new wire rod casthouse in Karmoy will have capacity of 110,000 tons per year. “By expanding the capacity to deliver low-carbon aluminum from Norway to the EU, we help ensure that the infrastructure, the very backbone of the future energy system, supports both Europe’s security and climate policy goals,” said Hydro CEO Eivind Kallevik.

The project, scheduled for the first quarter of 2028 , is Hydro’s largest investment in Norway in 10 years. Per the company’s website, Hydro has 32,000 employees operations in some 50 countries and accounts for 40% of the aluminum produced in Europe.

ABB Installation Products has opened a new manufacturing facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to serve what it called the surging demand for grid reliability solutions across the United States, only this one is not making wire and cable. It’s for related elements.

A press release said that the $40 million greenfield

facility that spans 90,000 sq f will produce ABB’s Elastimold cable accessories and Fisher Pierce circuit indicators. Those core components are used in undergrounding, fire mitigation and grid hardening projects.

“This expansion allows us to respond faster to the needs of utilities working to modernize infrastructure and meet surging demand,” said Khalid Mandri, President of ABB Installation Products. “It reflects our continued investment in U.S. manufacturing and our longstanding commitment to supporting electric providers nationwide.”

Located on ABB’s 40-acre Albuquerque campus, the new South Building doubles on-site production capacity and incorporates advanced robotics, automated systems, and digital testing technologies. It is expected to create more than 150 new full-time jobs, increasing total campus employment to over 565 — with further hiring underway.