Nexans reports that it has agreed to reserve capacity so it can supply and install high-voltage cables to SSEN Transmission to provide a transmission link from Orkney to Dounreay in the Scottish Highlands.
A press release said that capacity reservation agreement was signed by both parties for the project. The official contract, expected to be signed in the second quarter of 2024, will require approximately 100 km of 220kV AC subsea and land cables. The Orkney Islands is investing in further renewable energy projects and needs more transmission capacity so it can export energy to the Scottish transmission network.
“This agreement marks a significant milestone for Nexans and we look forward to collaborating closely with SSEN Transmission,” said Nexans Executive Vice President Pascal Radue. “The Orkney transmission link is critical for the development of renewable energy in the UK, and underscores our commitment to advancing electrification and renewable energy in the region.”
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United Wire expanding operations, adds new equipment to make medical products
The Prysmian Group has signed an agreement worth approximately $952.8 million with Clean Path New York to provide submarine and land power cable systems for one of the largest transmission infrastructure projects in the United States.
A press release said that Clean Path New York is an $11 billion renewable energy project comprising 3,800 MW of wind and solar power from more than 20 new wind and solar generation resources and a new 175-mile, underground and submarine transmission link. These assets will be able to deliver more than 7.5 million megawatt-hours of emissions-free energy every year—enough to power more than 1.5 million New York households.
Clean Path New York is a public-private collaboration between Invenergy, energyRe, and the New York Power Authority. The Prysmian Group will be responsible for the design, manufacture, construction, installation, and commissioning of Clean Path New York’s high-voltage DC current) 400 KV single core cable system with XLPE insulation, conditional upon Clean Path New York issuing its notice to proceed in Spring 2024.
“We are proud to support Clean Path New York in meeting New York State’s ambitious climate goals to be 70% carbon-free by 2030,” said Hakan Ozmen, EVP Projects BU, Prysmian Group. “Clean Path New York is one of the largest transmission infrastructure projects to be executed in New York State and is one the first 400 kV HVDC interconnectors to be built by Prysmian around the world. This agreement reinforces Prysmian Group’s leading position in the submarine and land cable market and underlines both our continued role in and our commitment to the North American energy transition.”
Supporting the company's intent to be a leader in sustainability, Southwire has joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR® Program.
ENERGY STAR® is a well-recognized and respected voluntary program managed by the U.S. EPA, supported by U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and Natural Resources Canada, that is focused on improving energy efficiency in buildings, plants and homes.
“We’re excited to partner with ENERGY STAR, a brand that is well-recognized for energy efficiency in many of the things we use every day, like some of our Topaz® lights,” said Norman Adkins, Southwire’s Chief Operating Officer (COO). “Through its resources and collaboration with other companies who share the same commitment to proving energy efficiency, ENERGY STAR helps its partners in the industrial space. As a part of this partnership, we plan to improve energy efficiency at a faster pace throughout our company operations.”
In support of the company’s Growing Green initiative, Southwire aims to reduce its environmental footprint and maintains a deep commitment to responsible growth and actively integrating environmental priorities into its core operations.
In July 2020, Southwire announced its Carbon Zero goal to eliminate or offset all of the company’s Scope 1 – associated with fuel combustion – and Scope 2 – associated with electricity consumption – greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.
As part of the program, Southwire will continue its commitment to protect the environment through the continuous improvement of its energy performance.
“At Southwire, our vision is to make our company sustainable for the next 100 years and beyond, and our partnership with ENERGY STAR is a testament to those efforts,” said Burt Fealing, Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer. “Southwire maintains a deep commitment to responsible growth and actively integrating environmental priorities into our core operations, and we look forward to creating a more sustainable planet through our partnership with ENERGY STAR.”
“By making a commitment to improved energy efficiency, Southwire is on the way to enhancing its bottom line while protecting our environment,” said Cindy Jacobs, Chief of EPA’s ENERGY STAR Commercial and Industrial Branch.
Earlier this year, the Prysmian Group announced the launch at global level of a new Parental Policy, consisting of concrete measures to support new parents for optimal management of their work-life balance in the new chapter of their lives.
The main features of the new global Parental Policy include the raising of the minimum parental leave for mothers and for primary caregivers from 12 to 16 weeks at full salary, and the introduction of a two-week minimum standard parental leave for fathers and secondary caregivers at full salary. To support parenthood, Prysmian is committed to providing in all countries in which it operates a new child benefit (also called “baby bonus”) as a family support measure granted and disbursed to new parents — whether biological or adoptive, members of a couple or single parents — for each child.
Moreover, Prysmian will reinforce the “Leave and Back to Work Programme”— a support programme for all mothers and for primary caregivers that begins as they approach parental leave and extends into their first few months back at work, so as to guarantee a gradual and successful return. Each new mother will be supported through a dedicated training, mentoring, and counselling programme.
Through this new Parental Policy, Prysmian Group aims to set a minimum global standard, focusing on aspects such as wellbeing and inclusion in all the countries where it operates, thus allowing its employees to enjoy the same opportunities and minimum benefits. The policy is highly appreciated by people throughout the Group, particularly in the United States where Prysmian has a strategic footprint and operates with more than 6,000 employees.
“Prysmian Group has always focused closely on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, in order to ensure a correct work-life balance for all its employees. In keeping with this approach, Prysmian Group is committed to supporting new parents, recognising the great value of parenthood,” stated Fabrizio Rutschmann, Chief HR Officer at Prysmian Group. “Our aim is to make all of our employees feel free to have children and consider this option as an extraordinary opportunity. To this end, we provide concrete help to all those who want to become parents. This is also aimed to support the birth rate, as it has reached record low levels in in many countries where Prysmian operates”.
AZ Wire & Cable, a U.S. master distributor for industrial, commercial and specialty wire and cable, was acquired in October by investment group MFG Partners (MFG).
A press release said that MFG “has completed a strategic investment in AZ (Wire & Cable), which is based in Northbrook, Illinois, and has additional locations in New York, North Carolina, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, Florida and Oregon. As part of the transaction, Executive Vice Presidents Darren, Todd and Eric Anixter have retained significant equity ownership in the business, and will continue to run the day-to-day operations of the business.
“We believe that partnering with MFG, given their expertise and experience investing in middle market industrial companies, is an investment in growth and we are excited for the future,” said Todd Anixter.
Italy’s Acciaierie Venete has chosen Danieli to supply a new wire rod production line to expand capacity at its plant in Sarezzo (Brescia).
A press release said that, fed by the existing Danieli rolling mill that produces straight and coiled quality bars, the new wire rod line will produce special steel smooth rounds from 5.5 to 25 mm, at speeds up to 110 m/s, expanding the company product portfolio.
The mill will start operation in early 2025. It will have three fast-finishing blocks to perform a total of 18 passes. It will include a TMB Twin-Module Block that will guarantee holding a ± 0.1 mm tolerance and 50% ovality to the whole range of products. Danieli Automation’s Hi-Profile Lite gauge measurement system will provide real-time feedback on the rolling operations and certify the quality of the final product, while motorized remote control of the rings will allow prompt adjustments during rolling. A Danieli-patented, high-speed shear will ensure accurate, consistent head-and-tail in-line trimming.
U.S.-based Winchester Interconnect (Winchester) reports that it has opened a new facility in Empalme, Mexico, as part of its expansion in the country.
A press release said that the new 53,000-sq-ft facility will produce wire and cable, cable assembly and coil cord interconnect solutions using cutting-edge manufacturing technologies and a highly skilled workforce. “We are pleased to celebrate another milestone in the continuing evolution of Winchester,” said Winchester COO Steve Ball.
Earlier this year, Winchester opened a new facility in Bangkok, Thailand, that will serve as an additional hub for manufacturing and delivery to customers in the Asia-Pacific region. The plant is strategically located to provide easy access to major transportation routes and ports, making it easier to deliver products to customers in the region. “With the opening of the new facility in Thailand, Winchester is poised to further expand its reach and capabilities while providing exceptional service to customers as they grow and expand in the region.”
VVocus was named a partner of choice for Google to deliver a new submarine cable system—the South Pacific Connect—connecting Australia to the United States via the South Pacific.
A press release said that the planned system would connect Australia to the United States via the South Pacific, uplifting the reliability and resilience of digital infrastructure for both Australia and the region. The subsea cable ring will connect three diverse Australian landings to Fiji and French Polynesia, both of which will then connect directly onto the U.S. via diverse paths. It also includes pre-installed branching units across the system to enable other Pacific nations to connect in future.
The new cables between Australia and the U.S. will be named Honomoana and Tabua. Honomoana will connect the U.S. and Australia to French Polynesia while Tabua will connect the U.S. and Australia to Fiji. French Polynesia and Fiji will also be directly connected with an interlink cable to establish a network loop.
The supplier of the cable for the project was not named, but Alcatel Submarine Networks has supplied past Vocus projects that include the 4,600-km Australia Singapore Cable (ASC) from Perth to Singapore, and the 4,700-km Coral Sea Cable System (CS2) for the Australian Government, connecting Sydney to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
Danieli Automation will provide hardware and software for an upgrade plant to CMC Poland’s rolling mill in Zawiercie, Poland.
A press release said that the revamp will optimize rolling performance and increase plant uptime. New, low-voltage inverter drives for the mill’s roughing and intermediate sections will be installed to improve operation and plant maintainability. Special attention will be paid to the reheating furnace heating-up billets produced by the local meltshop to accurate rolling temperatures. There, hardware and software for Level 1 automation system will be upgraded. A new process control system for automatic set up of the heating curves of the furnace also will be supplied. The upgrade will be completed by the end of this year.
The mill produces 500,000 metric tons per year of bars and wire rod for construction, agricultural, energy, machinery and consumer goods applications. Some of the products it manufactures include wire rod, ribbed and plain wire in coils and welded mesh for concrete reinforcement.
CMC Poland is part of U.S.-based Commercial Metals Company, which has multiple locations in America, Europe and Asia, including a U.S. plant that makes wire rod in Jacksonville, Florida.
A European Commission (EC) proposal to impose further import bans in Europe on a range of Russian products—from diamonds to aluminum wire—has received a mixed welcome as there are some that agree with the concept but not how it would be carried out. That includes an official from one of Ukraine’s leading cable manufacturers.
“I do support the ban on all wire rod from Russia, and I do support other international restrictions and sanctions over Russian trade, but the problem is that the sanctions have lots of holes,” said Oleg Procopovich, deputy CEO of Odeskabel PJSC. The company, which is based in Odessa, Ukraine, manufactures telecom cables, exporting about a third of its production to Europe.
Procopovich told WJI that before the war started, his company used a lot of aluminum made by a Russian company, Rusal, which is one of the world’s largest aluminum producers. That ended almost immediately after the invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. The problem with the proposed sanctions is the “gray market,” because the channels for international trade for Russia or Iran remain open, he said. “It is not only the phenomena of unfair businesses, in our world of global trade, it is the policy of certain countries that have chosen to benefit from the war through such trading. So, shadow companies supply copper and aluminum that come from diluted origins, squeezing honest manufacturers. Unless that changes, the proposed ban will not have the desired impact for Russia.”
That same sentiment was seen in the essence of a press release from European Aluminum, a Belgium-based association that represents the entire European aluminum value chain. It said that it welcomed the EC’s proposed 12th package of sanctions against Russia, which includes a ban on the importation of certain aluminum products that include wire, tubes and pipes, as well as aluminum foil. It said that future sanctions must be accompanied “by strong anti-circumvention measures to ensure an effective mechanism to prevent the circumvention of sanctions through imports of (semi-) final aluminum products from third countries.”
The association also targeted the effect of the proposed ban list, which it notes only covers 12% of EU imports of aluminum products from Russia. “These sanctions are a small first step, but we strongly encourage the European Union to accelerate its efforts and broaden their scope to cover all major product categories, including ingots, slabs, and billets, which constitute over 85% of the EU’s imports from Russia,” notes Paul Voss, Director General of European Aluminum. “The European aluminum industry has already started phasing out Russian aluminum and is willing to accelerate the process. It is a matter of principle and strategic foresight—it’s simply the right thing to do in the current circumstances.”
A press release said that the agreement covers the supply of 66 kV inter-array wires and will apply to all bottom-fixed European wind farms developed by Vattenfall in the coming years.
The first project it will apply to will be for the German Nordlicht cluster. The contract is initially signed for a three-year period and can be extended by five more.
Vattenfall is a Swedish multinational power company owned by the Swedish state, that also generates power in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Netherlands and U.K. Vattenfall places a high value on sustainability measures.
Catrin Jung, head of offshore wind at Vattenfall, said that working with committed suppliers matters. “We are pleased that in TFK we have found a partner that provides innovative technology while committing to the reliability and sustainability of the offshore electricity network.”
TFK Group Chief Executive Alexander van der Lof said that he was pleased to extend the relationship. “After a successful cooperation with Vattenfall in the Hollandse Kust Zuid 1 and 2 projects, we (look forward to) working together in the coming projects. TFK has invested significantly in electrification with expansions in capacity for state-of-the-art offshore wind sub-sea cable solutions.”
TFK supplied 150 km of 66 kV inter array cables for the above cited projects, which are located in the North Sea, approximately 22 km from the Dutch coast, between The Hague and Zandvoort.
In related news, Vattenfall reported on Nov. 10 that the first power from its offshore wind farm, Vesterhav Syd, was supplied to the Danish power grid. It was a culmination of almost seven years’ work on the wind farm, when the blades of the first wind turbine were turned up against the wind and started generating fossil-free electricity.
“It’s a huge relief being able to finally supply power from Vesterhav Syd.,” said Mathilde Damsgaard, Vattenfall’s project director for the Vesterhav Syd and Nord Offshore Wind Farms. “We feel a tremendous sense of pride.”
The cable for the project came from Hellenic Cables, which provided approximately 70 km of 66 kV cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulated inter-array cables and associated accessories.