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Nexans SA announced that it has entered into a share purchase agreement with Reka Industrial Plc to acquire Reka Cables for €53 million.

A press release said that the acquisition of the Finnish company will strengthen Nexans’ position in the Nordics, notably in electricity distribution and usages. Founded in 1961, Reka Cables has some 270 employees that manufacture low- and medium-voltages cables.

Reka Cables operates in four countries and was said to have expected 2022 revenues exceeding €160 million. The deal, pending approvals, is expected to be concluded in the first half of 2023. In November 2021, it became one of the first cable manufacturers to become carbon neutral per Scope 1 and Scope 2.

“With a deep commitment to energy transition and carbon neutrality, Reka Cables is fully aligned with the Group’s strategic ambition to become a pure electrification player committed to contribute to carbon neutrality by 2030,” said Nexans CEO Christopher Guérin.

“As a global player in electrification and an active promoter of the energy transition, Nexans is a great fit for Reka Cables,” said Reka Cables CEO Jukka Poutanen.

Hengtong, one of China’s largest cable manufacturers, reports that it has been awarded a contract to supply for the Koh Tao 33 kV Submarine Cable Project in Thailand.

Per the announcement, the order from Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) represents one of the largest submarine cable projects in Thailand. A prior report posted at thailand-construction.com said that the project includes a stretch from Koh Phangan to Koh Tao, a distance of 45 circuit km, and that the power supply system will have a distance of 21 km with two automatic voltage regulators.

The project will provide a continuous reliable and clean power supply to Koh Tao, significantly benefiting its residents, enhancing local tourism and the economy. “It is another breakthrough in the market of South East Asia. We are committed to have a long-term cooperation with local partners and clients,” said Joe Sheng, vice president of Hengtong in the APEC region.

In other news, Hengtong reports that it has delivered 275 km of high-voltage cable for the 900 MW Dubai PV project phase B. The project is the largest PV Power Plant Project under construction in Dubai, using advanced solar power generation technology.

Located in Dubai Maktoum Solar Park and divided into phases A, B and C, the project officially started in July 2020 with a targeted installed capacity of 1,050 MW in total. Once completed, it will become the most advanced demonstration of solar power generation in the UAE, supplying 2.268 billion kWh electricity to 270,000 buildings annually, reducing carbon emissions by 1.1 million tons per year.

In August, Sandvik Materials Technology separated from the Sandvik Group, was renamed Alleima™ and is now listed on the Nasdaq Stockholm Exchange as ALLEI.
Per an announcement from the company, “The name Alleima—a combination of the words alloy and materials—represents a fresh opportunity for growth and development in the global market. The Tube division represents nearly 70% of Alleima’s business, but it also makes long products, such as medical wire.

“While we are leaders in the stainless and special alloy sector in terms of both technology leadership and financial performance, we were a relatively small part of the Sandvik Group,” Alleima Company President Göran Björkman said. “As an independent company, the Alleima Board of Directors is fully focused on our activities, enabling us to deliver our strategy to grow profitably, and capital allocation will be much simpler. This move has energized our entire organization and instilled a strong sense of pride.”

Björkman said that the separation has not caused major changes for the company, customers or employees. There have been no changes in production or support service processes. Alleima continues to control the supply chain from R&D to primary melt to the final product, and there will be no changes or reductions in the product portfolio.

Earlier this year, Mexico’s Xignux SA completed the sale of Centelsa, a cable producer in Latin America, to Nexans SA.

A press release said that Centelsa, which manufactures cables for energy and communications, has been part of the industry since 1955. The company was three plants in Cali, Colombia, and a distribution center in Ecuador. Those operations will bolster the presence of Nexans in Latin America, where the company has four industrial plants in Colombia, Peru, Chile and Brazil.

Commented Sergio Valdés, general director of Viakable, a Xignux company, “In our history together with the Centelsa team we have achieved great achievements. ... I am convinced that, together with Nexans, the Centelsa team will continue to be a key player in the industry, offering growth to its collaborators and clients.”

A $300 million consortium-led subsea cable, Asia Link Cable System (ALC), has been announced that calls for 6,000 km of cabling to connect Hong Kong SAR and Singapore, with branches to the Philippines, Brunei and Hainan, China.

A press release said that the project supplier for the optical fiber cable will be HMN Technologies (HMN Tech), which is the rebranded name of Huawei Marine Networks. The project—to boost data capacity in the region and upgrade local capacities—will deploy a minimum of eight fiber pairs, with 18 Tbps per fiber pair minimum trunk design capacity. The system will have an open cable system architecture, enabling all parties to select and maintain independent line terminal equipment in line with their specific customer requirements. It is scheduled to be completed in 2025.

“ALC is a great accomplishment of Asian carriers which overcame difficulties of Covid impacts, and it is also the only subsea project with zero face-to-face meetings from the memorandum of understanding to the construction and maintenance agreement signing in the industry,” said Chang Weiguo, co-chair of ALC.

The consortium, co-led by Singtel and China Telecom Global Limited, also includes China Telecommunications Corporation, Globe Telecom and DITO Telecommunity Corporation and Unified National Networks.

“We started planning and designing the ALC cable more than two years ago at the onset of the pandemic, having anticipated the inevitable growth in high-definition content consumption, trade and innovation in this region,” said Alan Tan, co-chair, ALC (Singtel).

HMN Tech notes that it has deployed over 80,000 km of submarine network systems to date.

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