In what it describes as “a historic first,” Nexans reports that it has been awarded a turnkey contract valued at €1.43 billion for the section of the EuroAsia Interconnector that connects Greece and Cyprus.

A press release said that the interconnector is a critical part of a broader project to connect the grids of Greece, Israel, and Cyprus. The 525 kV high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable, which will be the longest and deepest interconnector in the world with a bi-pole length of 2 x 900 km, will run across the Mediterranean Sea floor at depths of more than 3,000 m. The subsea HVDC mass impregnated cables will be manufactured in Nexans’ facilities in Halden (Norway) and Futtsu (Japan). Installation will be done with the Nexans Aurora and Nexans Skagerrak cable-laying vessels.

The EuroAsia Interconnector will exchange up to 1,000 MW among the three nations with the capability of increasing to 2,000 MW, the equivalent to 3 million households’ average electricity consumption, and will end the energy isolation of Cyprus by creating an energy highway between Europe and Asia, it will be the largest interconnector project in history, supplying over three million homes with electricity. Pole One is expected to be completed in 2028 and Pole Two in 2029.

“This record-breaking project demonstrates our capacity to innovate and push the limits of electrical transmission and distribution to meet an ever-growing global need,” said Nexans CEO Christopher Guérin. “This is a crucial step on the path to a carbon-free economy. Nexans’ global electrification strategy is playing a key role in the world’s journey to a net zero future and we are excited that we have been selected to bring the development of the EuroAsia Interconnector to life.”

The interconnector was designated as a Project of Common Interest (PCI) by the EU, a status designed to allow the project to benefit from accelerated planning and permitting, lower administrative costs, and public participation. To qualify as a PCI, a project must also contribute to the European Union’s energy and climate goals, so that much of the electricity being shared will be from renewable and decarbonized sources. IPTO, the Transmission System Operator of Greece, was cited as having provided essential technical and operational capacity to the project.

The Prysmian Group has been awarded a new contract by Ørsted Wind Power A/S to supply inter-array submarine cables for the Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm, located 160 km off the Yorkshire coast, U.K.

A press release said that the project—subject to a final procedural confirmation from Ørsted—calls for approximately 280 km of 66 kV inter-array cables with XLPE insulation. The order from Ørsted, a repeat customer, will cover about half of the overall wind farm’s requirements.

The Prysmian Group will be responsible for the design, manufacture, supply, termination and testing of the inter–array submarine cable system that will connect the wind turbines and the offshore converter station. All the submarine cable cores will be produced at the Group’s centers of excellence located in Montereau and Gron, France, while the armoring and assembling processes will be performed at the plant in Nordenham, Germany. The cables are due to be delivered in 2026. Once constructed, the site will be able to supply green, renewable electricity to more than three million homes.

“This award reflects Ørsted’s trust in Prysmian’s capabilities to meet the increasing need of submarine cable systems to support the energy transition to smarter and greener power grids,” said Juliano De Mello, sales team manager offshore wind, Prysmian Group. “We are very pleased and proud for having been chosen again to undertake such a challenging project supporting Ørsted to meet the U.K. Government’s ambition to deliver 50 GW of offshore wind power by 2030 as part of the British Energy Security Strategy.”

In 2018, Ørsted awarded Prysmian Group the contract for the 66 kV inter–array submarine cable system for the Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm. That project connected 110 of the 165 wind turbines and the offshore substation platform.

“After working successfully with Prysmian on the Hornsea 2 project, we are delighted to work together again on Hornsea 3,” said Luke Bridgman, senior project director for Hornsea 3. “The project represents another leap forward in terms of the size and scale of offshore wind farms, and collaborations with world-class manufacturers such as Prysmian are crucial to executing the project successfully.

Kris-Tech Wire, a supplier of wire and cable to the building, commercial and utility industries, recently broke ground at its location in Rome, New York, where the company plans to expand its operations, doubling the facility’s production, warehouse and office space.

Per published reports, the Kris-Tech Wire expansion is part of a multi-year campaign to expand operations and product lines into emerging markets. “We’re excited to

continue investing in our people, customers, and community,” President and CEO Graham Brodock said in a press release announcing the project. “This expansion is a statement of our belief in our business and team, and we look forward to yet another one soon.”

When construction ends in early 2024, the Otis Street building will house several added production lines, including Kris-Tech’s recently expanded tray cable division, stocking and storage areas, training rooms and more. The expansion project will also bring a nearby production facility back to Rome. Last year, the company opened a stocking facility in Houston, Texas. A third-generation, family-owned business, Kris-Tech Wire was founded in 1984 by twin brothers Gerry and Glenn Brodock.

Hellenic Cables has been awarded a contract from TenneT for the turnkey delivery of approximately 36 km of HVAC offshore grid connection cables for offshore wind farms to be developed in zones (N-3.7 and N-3.8) in Germany.

A press release said that the project, being done in partnership with the Jan De Nul Group, is for the cabling that will connect the wind farms to the DolWin kappa converter station, from where HVDC cables transfer the produced energy to shore. Hellenic Cables will be responsible for designing, manufacturing, supplying, terminating, and testing of three 155kV HVAC grid connection cables and associated accessories.

Manufacturing is planned for 2025 in Hellenic Cables’ submarine cable plant in Corinth, Greece, and delivery is expected in Q3 2025. The Jan De Nul Group will handle the cable transportation, laying and protection works. A single cable will be installed between zone N-3.7 and the DolWin kappa converter, covering a length of 16.5 km. The N-3.8 zone will connect to the converter station by two cables, each about 10 km long.

Hellenic Cables is part of Cenergy Holdings, which itself is a subsidiary of Viohalco SA, a Belgian-based holding company that specializes in manufacturing aluminum, copper, cables, steel and steel pipes.

MW Components has acquired Western Wire Products Company (Western Wire), a wire forming manufacturer with a storied history.

A press release said that the acquisition bolsters the scope of MW Components, which is active in the spring and wire forming industry. Its holdings include Century Spring, Fox Valley Spring, Maryland Precision Spring and over a dozen other locations that produce precision metal components. 

The addition of Western Wire will result in an increased selection of stock, standard, and custom wire forms including cotter pins, hitch pins, spring pins and an array of highly engineered precision metal components. “We are thrilled that Western Wire is joining the MW Components portfolio and hope to strengthen Western Wire’s service and 100+ year history of entrepreneurship.”

The Western Wire website spells out the company’s rich history of the business that was owned by members of the Young family for more than a century before being bought out in 2016 by its CFO, Michael Basler. Below are just two innovations it cites.

Western Wire Products Company was a “family business” even before its 1914 incorporation in St. Louis, Missouri. The company’s origins date back to 1907 when the uncle of its founders invented a machine that made woven wire fabric. The patent on this machine is considered by some historians to be the original precursor to today’s chain link fence.

In 1912, family inventor Ira J. Young, under a different company name (Wire Manufacturing Products) applied for a patent on a machine for forming split pins, later to be known as Cotter Pins. That business later became part of Western Wire, which serves customers in all parts of the U.S., and exports to Europe, South America, Mexico, Asia, Australia, and Canada.