Alaska Power & Telephone Company (AP&T) has completed the company’s “SEALink South” submarine fiber optic cable project, the latest segment in its growing southeast Alaska broadband network.

A press release said that the AP&T team completed the installation one year ahead of schedule. SEALink South includes a submarine cable system interconnecting Ketchikan with the communities of Hollis and Coffman Cove, beachfront cable landing sites, various terrestrial facilities, and associated transport equipment.

Norddeutsche Seekabelwerke, a subsidiary of Prysmian Group, provided the cable for SEALink in 2022 and it also provided the cable for SEALink South. That project was noteworthy as it represented the first- ever fiber optic link to continental North America. That project required 214 miles of submarine fiber optic cable from Prince of Wales Island to Juneau, with an overland crossing on Mitkof Island through the community of Petersburg. It was funded by a $21.5 million grant from the USDA Rural Utility Services, and more than $7 million in matching funds from APTW. It was completed two years ahead of schedule.

The SEALink South Project uses 101 miles of submarine fiber optic cable to expand connectivity in Alaska’s Alexander Archipelago region, enhancing resilience through diverse routing options and a fiber “ring” around Prince of Wales Island. SEALink South was funded via a $29.3m USDA ReConnect grant, plus additional matching funds supplied by AP&T.

In addition to supporting AP&T’s needs as a rural service provider, SEALink is available as a regional resource to assist carriers with transport and routing diversity requirements. This includes indigenous stakeholders working to develop tribal broadband solutions who have actively supported SEALink throughout the course of its development.

South Korea’s LS Cable & System (LS Cable) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Norway’s Equinor to cooperate on the 750 MW Bandibuli/Firefly floating offshore wind project in South Korea.

A press release said that the collaboration aims to support the development of one of the world’s largest planned floating offshore wind farms, which is projected to deliver up to 750 MW capacity by 2030, approximately 70 km off the coast of Ulsan. The Bandibuli project is one of South Korea’s first large-scale floating offshore wind initiatives that is particularly suited to deeper waters.

The MoU was signed at the BIXPO 2024 event held at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Centre in Gwangju. LS Cable & System notes that it developed South Korea’s first dynamic submarine cable for floating offshore wind.

The wind farm recently entered into a Transmission Service Agreement with Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO). The project calls for the deployment of Siemens Gamesa 15 MW wind turbine via an agreement that was signed in October.

South Korea’s Gaon Cable announced that it has secured 100% ownership of LSCUS, its distribution cable production subsidiary in Tarboro, North Carolina, USA, by buying out its joint venture partner, LS Cable & System.

A press release said that the acquisition is part of Gaon Cable’s strategic plan to strengthen its localization capabilities in the U.S. market and boost its competitiveness in the global power infrastructure market. LSCUS was created in 2017 when the LS Group acquired the Energy division from Superior Essex to create a subsidiary under the LS Cable & System umbrella. LS C&S had an 82% stake and Gaon Cable an 18% stake. Gaon Cable’s board approved the acquisition of LS Cable’s 82% stake.

The acquisition “marks a pivotal point in Gaon Cable’s efforts to enhance its U.S. localization strategy,” the release said. It noted that Gaon Cable plans to strengthen its ultra-high voltage cable business in collaboration with LS Cable and is set to enter the submarine cable market.

“We will enhance our competitiveness by developing products suitable for the local market and establishing a stable supply chain,” said Gaon Cable CEO Jeong Hyun. “The acquisition will serve as a crucial foundation for global market entry ... to expand overseas operations with a focus on North America.”

The 294,000-sq-foot Tarboro plant opened in 2012. It has a 128.5 ft. continuous catenary vulcanization (CCV) tower with machinery to produce medium-voltage cables, with upside capabilities to produce high-voltage cables.

HELUKABEL has launched a new production facility in India that will make control cables and single conductors.

A press release said that the company, which has logistics and sales facilities in the cities of Mumbai and Punej, now will produce cable at the new factory of HELUKABEL India, which is located near the city of Gandhinagar in the western part of the country. It will supply the subcontinent’s quickly growing market going into the future. “India, the most populous country on earth, is experiencing a technological and economic boom,” said HELUKABEL Group Managing Director Marc Luksch. “With this new production facility, we are happy that we are now able to serve our local customers more quickly, comprehensively and flexibly in the future.”

The production facility has some 30 employees that produce cables made of conductor stranding classes 1-5, with and without braided shielding or steel wire armoring. Many of the products will be made to the Indian BIS standard, which was an important criterion for cables being installed in machines and equipment destined for sale to Indian companies. In the future, cables will also be produced according to the German VDE standard. “HELUKABEL is in an ideal position to secure its place in India’s growing market moving into the future.