The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has awarded a feasibility study grant to Malaysia’s Hexa Capital Consultancy to support development of the Malaysia-U.S. (MYUS) submarine fiber optic cable system, which would be the first subsea cable system directly connecting Malaysia and the U.S.

A press release said that Malaysia currently connects to 18 international subsea cable systems, but of those, only the Asia-America Gateway (AAG) club cable connects to the U.S. The MYUS cable is expected to be just over 19,220 km with six landing stations in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. MYUS will also have three landing stations in U.S. states and territories across the Pacific. No details have yet been given about the MYUS cable in terms of planned capacity.

USTDA director Enoh T. Ebong said in a statement that the MYUS cable would add cost-effective digital connectivity capacity and “increase access to reliable and affordable digital services across Southeast Asia, including remote and underserved areas, while creating a secure communications link between the region and the U.S.”

EllaLink reports that it has been awarded a contract by SPLANG (the Local Public Company for the Digital Development of Guyana) for a 2,100 km extension to the existing EllaLink cable to land in the South American French territory.

A press release said that the new branch will land in Cayenne, French Guiana, and include two fiber pairs. The system will be built by Alcatel Submarine Networks. No timetable was provided.

The original EllaLink cable was lain between late 2020 and 2021 and runs from Fortaleza in Brazil via Cabo Verde and Madeira to Sines in Portugal, with a branch to Morocco. The 5,900-km cable offers around 100Tbps across four fiber pairs.

State-owned SPLANG manages and operates electronic communications infrastructures deployed by the Territorial Collectivity of Guyana. The project will include funding from the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program.

This will be the first trans-Atlantic cable landing at the South American French territory. French Guiana currently has three other subsea cables planned or in operation, with two landing in Cayenne.

The Americas-II cable, laid in 2000, runs from Brazil to Florida via Cayenne, Venezuela, and a number of islands in the region, while 2019’s Kanawa cable from Orange connects Kourou in French Guiana to Schoelcher in Martinique. Set to go live later this year, Digicel’s Deep Blue One will connect Cayenne to Georgetown, Guyana; Paramaribo, Suriname; and Chaguaramas and Rockly Bay in Trinidad and Tobago.

The United States Department of Energy (DoE) has selected a dozen projects across 11 states for $34 million in funding offered for the development of cable undergrounding solutions as part of efforts to improve the resilience of the country’s electricity system.

A press release said that the U.S. electric power distribution system—which has more than 5.5 million line-miles and some 180 million power poles—is too susceptible to damage by weather and its effects. DoE will fund projects that can further the deployment of “undergrounding” power lines.

One of the selected company projects chosen for funding is GE Vernova Advanced Research. Its project is to develop a “robotic worm tunneling construction tool that would dig and install conduit and cables for underground distribution powerlines in a single step. “GE’s system would mimic the natural movement of earthworms and tree roots to install 1,000 feet of cable and conduit in two hours with unmatched flexibility. The tool could deploy from a standard pickup truck and would eliminate the cost, complexity, and surface disruption compared with conventional approaches.”

In Idaho, Melni Technologies was selected for its work on “medium-voltage power cable splice kits that could be installed in 10-15 minutes, which is three-four times faster than conventional kits and would reduce failures and mistakes up to 90 percent by eliminating installation steps and potential human errors.”

In Kentucky, Prysmian Cables and Systems USA is seeking to come up with “a hands-free power cable splicing machine operating in underground vaults to reduce the share of splicing-caused medium-voltage network failures from 60-80 percent to less than 5 percent and dramatically improve the workforce safety by reducing the time the underground cable splicing crews spend in underground vaults.”

Buffalo Wire Works Co. Inc. (Buffalo Wire), announced that it has acquired Bison Steel, a company based in Depew, New York, that lays claim to having an unmatched industry product.

A press release said that the acquisition of Bison Steel deepens the portfolio of Buffalo Wire, which was founded in 1869, and supplies screening media for many industries, including aggregate, mining, industrial, recycling, asphalt, slag, green waste, topsoil and architectural. “Buffalo Wire Works is excited to launch this product as part of our ever-growing product suite.” 

At its website, Bison Steel notes that no other company can match its high-abrasion-resistant welded wire screens used in the aggregate and mining industries. Its welded high-carbon steel screens, created by a unique proprietary process, are very hard and abrasive resistant. They can last three times longer than traditional woven screens, reduce maintenance and increase production by up to 15%. Wire hardness can be up to 500 Brinell.