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The Prysmian Group announced that it has been awarded a power cable contract worth €17 million from utility company New Brunswick Power Corporation (NB Power) for a project in the Canadian Province of New Brunswick.

A press release said that the Fundy Isles Project will see a new power cable link connect Deer Island, Campobello Island and Grand Manan Island to the mainland power grid in the Canadian province. Set for completion this October, it will upgrade the capacity of the existing submarine transmission system in the Passamaquoddy Region of the Bay of Fundy.

Prysmian will design and install a total of 20 km of 300 mm² 69 kV three-core submarine cable with XLPE insulation. The submarine core cables—one about 16.5 km long and a second about 3.5 km— will be made at Prysmian’s plant in Montereau, France, while the cable armoring will be manufactured at its factory in Nordenham, Germany. That plant became part of the Prysmian Group after the merger with General Cable.

“This project is particularly challenging for Prysmian as the section where the installation activities will be performed presents the highest tides in the world, with very strong currents,” Raul Gil, Prysmian Group Submarine Business Director said. “Moreover, the submarine route crosses an extensive fishing area and this limits the time window that can be used for installation operations.”

NB Power is the largest electric utility in the Atlantic Canada.

The Prysmian Group announced that it has won a contract from Caldwell Marine International LLC, a U.S. construction contractor specializing in submarine utility operations, to supply submarine cable.

A press release said that the Prysmian Group will design, manufacture, supply and test six km of 3 x 630 sq mm 115kV submarine cable system with XLPE insulation, plus all related cable accessories, to connect Deer Island to mainland Massachusetts in the U.S. The Group will also supply and install the cable for the land portion of the project, which calls for 8 km of 115 kV land cabling, along with all related accessories. All the submarine cables will be produced at Prysmian’s Centre of Excellence in Arco Felice, Italy, while the land cables will be manufactured at Prysmian’s factory in Abbeville, South Carolina. Delivery of the project is scheduled for early 2019.

"This contract represents a very strategic opportunity for Prysmian Group as we move, following the acquisition of General Cable, to consolidate our presence in the U.S. interconnection market," said Hakan Ozmen, EVP Projects, Prysmian Group. "By winning this key contract Prysmian has again confirmed its historical leadership in the U.S. market, both in high-voltage underground and submarine cable business solutions. The impressive track record in delivering complete cable solutions in the US market will identify Prysmian as well-equipped to capture any market opportunities that arise."

The Prysmian Group has won a contract from utility SP Power Assets Limited, worth an estimated €33 million, for the design, supply, installation and commissioning of two high-voltage power cable systems to connect the Rangoon and Paya Lebar substations in Singapore.

A press release said that the power transmission system will require 44 km of HVAC (High Voltage Alternating Current) underground 2000 sq-mm 230 kV cables with a seamless corrugated aluminum sheath and related high-voltage accessories. Cable and accessories will be supplied by the Chinese subsidiary through its recently opened state-of-the-art factory which offers the APAC utilities market a wide range of high and extra high voltage cable technologies, as well as medium voltage solutions and fire protection cables.

The EPCI type contract will highlight the Group ability to provide a comprehensive package of services and to deliver a complete cable system solution including installation in a 50-m deep tunnel in water-cooled troughs and supply of auxiliary cables (telephone and LV cables), fiber optic cable and DTS (Distributed Temperature Sensor) for distributed temperature sensing of power cables. Delivery and commissioning of this project is scheduled for 2020.

“This is a strategic project for Prysmian, marking the Group’s involvement for the first time in many years in a project of this size in the APAC region, which also involves the supply of locally manufactured products and solutions. We have secured this EHV project in Singapore thanks to our extensive knowledge, our high-performance cable solutions and our new cable factory in China, reflecting SP Power Assets Limited’s confidence in Prysmian capabilities in the ASEAN region,” said Hakan Ozmen, EVP Projects, Prysmian Group.

“We are proud to be contributing to this important project. This collaboration demonstrates once more the extremely high quality and state-of-the-art technology of our products and underground cable system solutions,”  said Federico Corbellini, ASEAN high-voltage business director.  

The Prysmian Group reports that it has won a turnkey contract worth approximately €21 million from the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) for two interconnections between the Cyclades islands of Evia, Andros and Tinos.

A press release said that the order from IPTO, the transmission system operator of the Greek electricity system, calls for the design, supply and installation of two turnkey High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) cable systems. Designed to transmit a power of 200 MVA, the elements consist of 150 kV three core cables with XLPE insulation and double-wire armoring and associated fiber optic cable system along a total route of over 18 km (16.5 km submarine, 2 km land) for the interconnection between the four landfalls to the Greek islands.

The submarine cables will be manufactured in the company’s Arco Felice plant in Naples while the land cables will be produced in the Pignataro plant, also in Naples. The marine cable laying activities will be done by the Group’s "Giulio Verne" cable-laying vessel. The maximum water depth expected will be in the range of 550 m in the link between the islands Evia and Andros.

Production of both submarine and land cables will be carried out during 2018-2019. Delivery and commissioning is scheduled for Q3 2019.

The new project confirms Prysmian’s role and commitment in developing the Mediterranean region’s power grids and particularly in deep-water cable installation, the release said. It also proves the validity of Prysmian’s know-how and HVAC technologies.

This project follows the 2014 contract awarded by IPTO for the submarine interconnection between the island of Syros (Cyclades) and the mainland power transmission System in Lavrion, Greece.

The release said that Prysmian has a long-standing track record in the development of submarine interconnection milestone projects in the entire Mediterranean region, such as Italy-Greece, Sardinia-Italian Peninsula (SA.PE.I.), two interconnections between Spain and Morocco, two projects in the Balearic islands (Spanish mainland to Majorca and Ibiza to Majorca), the Cyclades project in Greece, Capri-Torre Annunziata and Capri-Sorrento in Italy and the Dardanelles link in Turkey.

The Prysmian Group and General Cable Corporation announced that they have gotten approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) for Prysmian to acquire the U.S.-based company.

A press release said that the CFIUS represents the last official approval needed for the $3 billion acquisition. The closing is set for June 6, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the remaining customary conditions to closing set forth in the merger agreement between the parties.

The Prysmian Group announced that the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act that applies to its proposed acquisition of General Cable Corporation has expired, clearing a key step in the process.

A press release said that as a result of the above-cited requirement, the transaction has been cleared for U.S. antitrust purposes. The transaction remains subject to other regulatory approvals and customary conditions.

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