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.

Hellenic Cables, the cables segment of Cenergy Holdings, announced that the South Fork Wind project has successfully powered up New York’s first offshore wind turbine, a major milestone in the construction of the first U.S. utility-scale offshore wind farm in federal waters.

A press release said that Hellenic Cables designed, manufactured, supplied, tested and terminated 30 km of 66 kV XLPE-insulated subsea inter-array cables and associated accessories. The cables were manufactured at Hellenic Cable’s plant in Corinth, Greece.

“This accomplishment reflects the dedication and expertise of everyone involved in this pioneering project,” said Alexis Alexiou, CEO of Cenergy Holdings. “We’re proud to work with industry leaders such as Ørsted and Eversource on a project that will help transform the US energy sector.”

Hellenic Cables already has a strong project pipeline in the U.S. offshore wind sector, with contracts for the supply of inter-array cables for flagship projects, including Revolution Wind in Connecticut and Rhode Island, Southcoast Wind in Massachusetts, and Dominion’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind.

A terrestrial cable has successfully traversed a pre-laid channel beneath the seabed on two islands in ocean waters north of the city of Zhoushan (part of East China’s Zhejiang Province), marking the completion of the first project of its kind in China.

Per multiple media reports, including China Daily, the terrestrial cable provided by the Hengton Group links the islands of Zhoushan and Shangyuanshan. The State Grid Zhoushan Power Supply Company, the project’s developer, said that inter-island energy transmission in China is usually done with submarine cables. However, China’s coastal waters have dense waterways and busy ships whose anchors could easily damage submarine cables, which led to using of a 10 kV one-km-long terrestrial cable that is buried deeper.

Li Zhen, the head of the design company of the project, said that other advantages include lower costs to make the cable as well as easier construction. To reduce tension and friction of the cable during the line laying, the company used wire rope traction, essentially installing an “exoskeleton” for the cable. It then used pipeline lubrication materials to reduce friction, ensuring that the cable remained intact during the dragging process.

Zhen said that this method could be “extensively applied to connect islands separated by short and medium distances of no more than 2 km.” The long-term goal, he added, is to achieve connections between islands over medium and long distances.