Wirenet Image Band
wirenet.org mobile image band

Wire Journal News

Hellenic Cables is one of 13 parties from eight countries that are part of a coalition working to further the design and deployment of a 6 MW floating wind prototype in the French Mediterranean.

A press release said that the pan-European project, launched in Paris, seeks to accelerate the roll out of the next generation of floating wind technology for a competitive, more scalable and industrial deployment. Other participants include: X1Wind, Naturgy, 2B Energy, Technical University of Denmark, Hydro, Ecole Centrale de Nantes, Schwartz Hautmont, Ocas, Tersan Shipyard, Ocean Ecostructures and Cybernetix.

Backed by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe program with public funding of €16 million, the project is anticipated to run until 2027. It will lead to the deployment of a 6 MW floating wind prototype to demonstrate at a relevant scale an innovative integrated downwind floating platform design, while advancing in parallel on the industrialization and scaling-up of the integrated solution up to 20MW+ scale, in preparation of commercial floating wind farms under development in Europe.

This project builds upon previous European Projects such as the PivotBuoy which recently led to the installation of a part-scale prototype in the Canary Islands to validate the technology. Design work for the initial 6MW system is currently underway and scheduled to be finalized in 2023. Construction is due in 2023 and 2024, ahead of installation in 2025.

Floating wind is considered one of the lowest carbon electricity generation systems to meet the energy demand in a sustainable way while inducing better competitiveness, less noise and visual pollution, and less interaction with the users of the maritime domain. The NextFloat Project represents a unique opportunity to test a novel and disruptive version of this technology at full scale, driving cost curve reductions in order to deliver industrial-scale projects at the earliest possible stage”.

“After the successful deployment and validation of our innovative low-cost solution in the Canary Islands (PivotBuoy project), the goal now is to scale-up and industrialize the technology in advance of large commercial floating wind projects which will come online at the end of the decade across European, Asian and U.S. waters,” said X1 Wind Founder and CEO Alex Raventos. “Wind will allow us time to drive substantial improvements in the competitiveness of floating wind as we prepare for long-term mass deployment.”

Last modified on January 10, 2023

Germany’s Leoni AG reports that the May 21 announced sale of its Business Group Automotive Cable Solutions business to Thailand’s STARK Corporation Public Company Limited (STARK) has been upended.

A press release said that the buyer, STARK, “unexpectedly demanded very significant amendments to the purchase agreement.” It added, “Despite willingness to compromise on the side of Leoni, STARK refused to agree and will not perform the closing.”

Leoni said that it sees the actions as a breach of the contract, and will “take all measures to enforce its rights against STARK.” It noted that the sale was important as it is the basis for the financing of the Leoni Group until the end of 2025. Leoni has signed a comprehensive contractual documentation of the refinancing plan with its syndicate banks and borrower’s note holders on the basis of the agreement in principle reached in July 2022. An essential prerequisite for its implementation, however, is a partial repayment of financial liabilities with proceeds from the sale. As a result of the non-performance of the contract by STARK, the refinancing plan cannot be implemented for the time being.

The release did not state what changes STARK requested. STARK is a private organization which focuses on investment in manufacturing and services in the industrial sector. It has been registered as a public organization since 2019 and mainly runs the business of Phelps Dodge International (Thailand) Limited. In 2020, it partnered with Thai Cable International, a leading manufacturer and distributor of copper and aluminum conductors in Thailand, and Thinh Phat Electric Cable Joint Stock Company, a major wire and cable manufacturer from Vietnam.

STARK did not respond to a WJI request for comment.

Last modified on January 10, 2023

NKT reports that the company is ready to design, produce and install a 1 kV cable using low-carbon aluminum and polyolefins in the Swedish power grid.

A press release said that the initiative will reduce the carbon footprint of the power cable significantly and is part of NKT’s ambition to become a net-zero emissions company. The cable has been developed in close cooperation with the Swedish power grid company Ellevio, which will also be the first customer to use it. Below, NKT spells out how the cable will achieve that goal.

The conductor is made from Hydro REDUXA low-carbon aluminum with 4.0 kg CO2e per kg of aluminum, less than a quarter of the global average. For insulation and jacketing, the company is using Bornewables™ material from Borealis that has -0.5 kg CO2 eq/kg. per kg of polyethylene (PE), which represents a reduction of at least 130% compared to conventional fossil-based polyethylene. Finally, the cable will be made with lean production processes that use 100% renewable electricity.

The cables will be manufactured with low-carbon aluminum and polyolefins at the NKT factory in Falun, Sweden, which is running on 100% renewable electricity. For NKT, the project is yet another important step in reducing the carbon footprint of its power cable solutions after also having announced the production of the world’s first HVDC power cable using low-carbon copper.

“This is a game changer in the development of an energy infrastructure built with innovative, low-carbon solutions,” said NKT Executive Vice President and Head of Applications Will Hendrikx. “We see a growing market demand for more environmentally friendly products and solutions and are proud to be among the first to deliver an innovative low voltage cable after a close collaboration with our customers and suppliers.”

Karolina Viksten, sustainability manager at Ellevio, said that cables and overhead lines account for some 60% of their emissions, and this new cable will be a big help.

Last modified on January 10, 2023

Italian carrier Unidata has chosen Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) to supply a new subsea cable system, Unitirreno, that will connect Sicily with two cities on the Italian mainland, Rome and Genoa.

A press release said that the project will be the first 24-fiber pair open cable system in the Mediterranean region. There will also be a 16-fiber pair from a branch to Fiumicino near Rome, where Unidata is building a green data center hub. Cable performance will be capable of 20 Terabit/sec x fp -> 480 Terabit/sec. The layout represents the shortest, quickest path to Northern Europe from Sicily via Genoa/Milan: 9 msec. Latency will be half that or less than alternative domestic terrestrial backbone solutions.

Unitirreno will be 890 km long. It will connect Mazara del Vallo on the western tip of Sicily with Genoa on the mainland, and it will include a junction point near Rome. It will include stubbed branching units to allow future landings in Sardinia and/or Palermo.

“ASN will design, manufacture, and deliver the Unitirreno system with the state-of-the-art technology that has made ASN a leader in the telecommunications submarine industry,” said Paul Gabla, ASN’s chief sales and marketing officer.

Last modified on January 10, 2023

Vattenfall has awarded the export cable contract for the Norfolk Vanguard Offshore Wind Farm in the U.K. to preferred supplier LS Cable & System (LS C&S).

A press release said that LS C&S is part of a consortium with DEME Offshore that includes design, engineering, procurement, manufacturing and testing of around 180 km of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) export cables for the onshore route and around 320 km for the offshore route for the whole of the Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone, and the connection to the national transmission electricity grid.

Located 47 km off the Norfolk coast in the U.K., Vattenfall’s Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone will produce clean energy for more than four million households. The project will be executed in 2027 and 2028, and will involve a cable installation vessel, a trailing suction hopper dredger and a fallpipe vessel from the DEME fleet.

“We are pleased to announce the 320 kV offshore cable being supplied by LS Cable & System will be manufactured solely using renewable energy which is also certified by LS’s Environmental Product Declaration Certification,” said LS C&S Executive Hyungwon Kim.

“We’re delighted to have taken the next step with LS Cable & System and DEME Group who will provide the export cables for the whole Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone,” said Catrin Jung, head of Offshore Wind at Vattenfall. “This is a big milestone for the project which is vital to deliver fossil-free living within a generation.”

The news for LS C&S follows a recent contract award to provide export cables for the Norfolk Boreas Wind Farm. The contract includes the design, engineering, procurement, manufacturing and testing, of around 360 HVDC.

Of note, last November Vattenfall’s Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone won the National Infrastructure Planning Association’s (NIPA) Best Project award.

Last modified on January 10, 2023

The Prysmian Group announced that it has seen its “B” rating improve to an “A-” in terms of its CDP (carbon disclosure project) ranking for a covered period (2021 versus 2019) the company saw its Scope 1 & 2 emissions decrease by more than 22%.

A press release said that the improvements cited in its score for the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) stemmed from reduced consumption, electrification and the use of renewable energy. In 2021, Prysmian recorded a 3% reduction despite the acquisition of four new production sites through focused actions (e.g., LED lights, biomass boilers and replacement of old machinery versus more efficient ones). It also installed several solar farms in its factories and aims to expand the amount of self-generated energy with renewables significantly in the coming years.

“Climate is the most urgent pillar of sustainability and we must deliver results quickly in order to guarantee a better future for next generations,” said Maria Cristina Bifulco, who is the chief sustainability officer and investor relations vice president for the Prysmian Group. “The A- ranking in the CDP Questionnaire confirms that we are on the right path in the decarbonization process and that our commitments are solid and recognized. The recent confirmation of Prysmian in the DJ World Index and the excellent results achieved further confirms how sustainability represents a key priority for the group.”

In 2021, the Prysmian Group launched its Climate Change and Social Ambition in 2021, which aims “to make the Group one of the leading technological players in the transition to low carbon energy and decarbonize its operation by 2035 (Scope 1 and 2) and be net-zero across the whole value chain by 2050 (Scope 3).”

In related news, Prysmian Australia has been awarded NBN’s ‘Protected Environment’ Award for 2022. Prysmian has had a longstanding partnership with NBN Co., locally manufacturing and supplying the optical ribbon cable integral to NBN’s national network as well as being its exclusive supplier of copper cable. All NBN cables are manufactured in Prysmian’s Dee Why, Sydney plant.

Prysmian’s ability to innovate saw the optimization of the 12-fiber stranded feeder cable to NBN. The local team worked closely with NBN’s engineering design team to challenge the existing cable design and develop a smaller and lighter cable without compromise to the mechanical, environmental and optical performance. After several iterations of prototyping and testing, the final design was a reduction in weight of 21% (which is mostly plastic material), a 27% reduction in size and a doubling of cable length on the existing size drum, with no change to the cable performance characteristics or handling methods.

In 12 months, there were significant benefits to material usage and carbon emissions, namely, it reduced: use of plastics by 129 metric tons; use of timber by 87 metric tons (1400 wooden drums) due to ability to supply longer lengths of cable on the same drum; carbon emissions by 1,175 metric tons; and emissions from logistics as 1400+ drums were taken off the road.

“We are delighted that our long-term strategy to manufacture locally, with a commitment to innovation and sustainability, continues to be of significant value to our customers” said Prysmian Oceania CEO Hama Shroff.

Last modified on January 10, 2023

Wire & Cable Manufacturer’s Alliance, Inc. (WCMA) saw 120 members and guests take part in its annual luncheon meeting on Dec. 1, 2022, at the Downtown Hartford Marriott.

A press release said that the event included a timely economic presentation, announcements about new leadership and programs, and a report about record donations to charity and scholarship programs. John S. Traynor, executive vice president of Cambridge Trust, returned to present key economic, political, and manufacturing topics with a focus on the current labor situation.

The approved 2023 officers include President David Fisher, James Monroe Wire & Cable; Vice President Chris Venice, Marmon Electrical; and Secretary Treasurer Tom Artinian, Hitachi Cable (Proterial). Sue Welsh, retired, is the past president. Added as a new board member was John Dognazzi, Managing Director North America, Sikora.

Charles Glew, president of Cable Components Group, was named the first chairman of the WCMA Young Professionals group, which also held a networking session. He will lead initiatives to facilitate mentoring and provide educational opportunities to cable industry professionals 40 and under. The group’s steering committee also includes Trish Weisberg, Service Wire; Grant Campbell, Multi/Cable; and Paul Gemelli, Gem Gravure.

Based on the generosity shown at the organization’s Award’s Dinner, Golf Outing and Annual Meeting events in 2022, WCMA will provide donations totaling $20,700. Those include $9,200 to Toys for Tots, $5,000 for UCONN Cancer Research, $3,000 for WCMA’s scholarship program, and the balance for other causes, from Breast Cancer research and the American Red Cross, to UNICEF, an Army Veterans organization and a hospice.

Welsh and Executive Director Ed Fenton introduced Amber Schilberg, who will support the organization’s marketing and administrative duties. Fenton reported that WCMA gained six new members bringing its paid membership count to 115 paid.

The WCMA also announced the recipients of its 2023 Distinguished Career Award. They will be honored on April 22, 2023, at the 37th annual Awards Dinner, which will also be held at the Downtown Hartford Marriott Hotel.

The recipients are: William “WT” Bigbee, vice president operations, Encore Wire; Rich Carr, CEO, Sequel Wire & Cable; Denise Coyle, sales manager, Fluoropolymer Resources, Ltd.; Scott Harden, president, Provideon Wire & Cable; Drew Richards, CEO, RichardsApex; John Rivers, regional sales manager, Fluorgistx; Greg Smith, president/CEO, International Wire Group; and Ronald Tessier, senior director operations, Berk-Tek Leviton.

For more information and to register for the awards event, contact Ed Fenton at tel. 860-331-7074,

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., www.wcmainc.org.

Last modified on January 10, 2023

Leviton announced that the company is making a £600,000 capital investment into solar energy at its U.K. manufacturing plant in Glenrothes.

A press release said that the carbon-neutral plant, which serves as headquarters for Leviton Network Solutions EMEA, manufactures fiber optic and copper cabling and made-to-order pre-terminated cable assemblies. The investment is part of a multi-million-pound development project at the Glenrothes site, including new production equipment and a customer showroom.

“The ability to generate solar energy onsite will help us offset soaring energy costs in the U.K. and supports our commitment to reducing carbon emissions, developing clean, renewable energy, and reducing our carbon footprint,” said Leviton Network Solutions Europe Managing Director Ian Wilkie. “Upon completion, the solar panels will help reduce the company’s annual energy needs.”

Planning and networking approvals are already in place. The installation will start in January and is planned to be completed in early 2023. “Leviton is ... investing back into the business on a global scale, and we are doing it with sustainability at the forefront of our thinking,” said Ross Goldman, executive vice president and general manager of Leviton Network Solutions, who also serves as the company’s chief sustainability officer.

The solar panel project at Glenrothes is part of Leviton’s CN2030 sustainability program to achieve company-wide Carbon Neutrality by 2030 and its ambition to achieve NetZero Carbon by 2050.

Last modified on January 10, 2023

As part of a more than $1 billion modernization commitment across its footprint, Southwire reports that its state-of-the art rod plant in Carrollton, Georgia, will have been completed by the end of 2022, with a grand opening to be held in early 2023.

A press release said that the new plant, which replaces a 40-year-old facility, will increase copper rod production by at least 10%. “Our goal as a company is to be generationally sustainable, and the construction of this plant is a key milestone on that journey. This is a significant investment in our future,” said Southwire President and CEO Rich Stinson. “We are proud of our industry-leading influence, and this new facility will set a higher global standard for sustainability and efficiency in rod manufacturing. It’s a great time to be in the electrical industry and an even better time to be at Southwire.”

In 1963, the company patented Southwire Continuous Rod (SCR®) technology, which transformed the wire and cable industry. More than half of all copper rod in the world has passed through a SCR system in some capacity. The new rod plant will produce more copper rod than any other SCR system, while encompassing a smaller environmental footprint.

As the company continues its focus on sustainability, Southwire is partnering with Carroll EMC to use all renewable electricity for the facility. Southwire will work to not just meet, but exceed, state air quality requirements through its focus on air emissions controls, including the installation of a “wet scrubber” system. The facility will also continue to capture 100 percent of the stormwater runoff for reuse in the company’s manufacturing processes.

 “Our team is thrilled to evolve the modern assets and technology that have made Southwire an industry leader while, at the same time, advance our values of empowerment, trust, consistency and inclusion,” said Senior Vice President of Modernization Will Berry. “This new plant illustrates our long-standing commitment to sustainable growth.”

Last modified on January 10, 2023

Cuba has contracted with France’s Orange, asking the French telecom to build an underwater cable that will link it to the island of Martinique.

Per multiple media reports, the news came about a week after the Biden administration recommended that U.S. regulators deny a request by submarine cable operator ARCOS-1 to connect Cuba to the United States through a new undersea cable landing station.

The objection from the U.S. was based on concerns that the cable-landing system in Cuba would be owned and controlled by Cuba’s state-owned telecom monopoly, Empresa de Telecommunicaciones de Cuba S.A. (ETECSA). The proposal would have created the only direct, commercial undersea cable connection between the U.S. and Cuba.

No details were released about the cost or capacity of the cable, which is to be supplied by Alcatel Submarine ETECSA. President Tania Velazquez said that work had begun on the project. “Today the official act was held to begin the technical work of installing the new submarine cable, the joint work of ETECSA and Orange, which will allow the diversification of Internet connection routes in Cuba,” he said on Twitter.

The sole undersea telecom that Cuba has is to Venezuela, part of ALBA-1, an 8,400-km fiber-optic cable system that was launched in 2001. ALBA-1 extends between the United States, the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Curaçao, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and Mexico.

Per Wikipedia, ETECSA is the sole lawful provider of telephony and communications services in Cuba, in essence, a communications state monopoly that has some eight million clients, both national and foreign.

Last modified on January 10, 2023

Contact us

The Wire Association Int.

71 Bradley Road, Suite 9

Madison, CT 06443-2662

P: (203) 453-2777