Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) has won a contract from Southern Cross Cables Limited to supply the cable needed for the SX Tasman Express subsea cable system that will directly link Sydney, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand.

A press release said that the project represents a major leap forward in digital connectivity between Australia and New Zealand. The amount of cable was not specified but the route was estimated to span approximately 2,150 km. The project will use ASN’s latest subsea technology to deliver 400 terabits of additional capacity, distributed across 16 fiber pairs. Marine installation will be led by OMS Group. It is scheduled for completion in 2028.

The new system will feature an Open Cable System architecture, ensuring compatibility with future generations of submarine line terminals and providing the flexibility needed to support evolving digital technologies. Optimized for low latency, the Tasman Express will enable next-generation digital applications, from real-time cloud services to advanced AI workloads. The design also incorporates ASN’s advanced branching unit technology, which will allow for an alternate Australian landing point if required, adding further resilience and scalability to the network.

NKT has rebranded its Portuguese cable factory SolidAl under the NKT name, completing a key step in its European integration strategy, and preparing it for a significant upgrade.

A press release said that the company, located in Esposende and acquired in June 2024, will now operate as NKT Cables Portugal as part of the company’s broader move to align its operations under a single brand.

“The Esposende site has quickly become an important part of our applications business line, contributing to solid revenue and EBITDA over the past three quarters,” said Carlos Fernandez, executive vice president and head of applications at NKT. “The rebranding is expected to support a unified go-to-market strategy across Portugal, Spain, France, Ireland and the UK, enhancing NKT’s ability to deliver medium- and high-voltage solutions for power grid upgrades and renewables projects.

NKT is investing €50 million to expand the site’s production capacity to meet Europe’s rising demand for grid infrastructure. “Europe’s aging power grid is in substantial need of an upgrade,” Fernandez said. “Strengthening NKT’s footprint and offerings under one brand across Europe, while also investing to increase capacity and capabilities, will play a central role in supplying the necessary cables to modernize and connect Europe’s power grid.”

The 70,000 sq m factory, located 50 km north of Porto, employs 430 people who manufacture cables up to 225kV.

The Estlink 2 interconnector between Finland and Estonia that was damaged by a ship anchor on Dec. 25, 2024, has been restored by Nexans.

A posting on LinkedIn by Nexans Executive Vice President Pascal Radue, PWR-Transmission, said that “the Estlink 2 interconnector ... has been successfully repaired by Nexans, reinforcing our position as a global leader in subsea cable Inspection, Maintenance and Repair (IMR).”

The summary noted that Fingrid Oyj contacted Nexans for the project. “In just 40 days from offshore mobilization, our teams completed the replacement of a 1-km high-voltage DC cable section—restoring 650 MW of cross-border transmission capacity in the Baltic region.”

Estlink 2 is a 171-km HVDC interconnection that links Estonia and Finland. The damage, caused by a cargo vessel’s anchor, halted the electricity flow between the two countries. The interconnection is operated jointly by Estonia’s Elering and Finland’s Fingrid.

The repair work, completed ahead of schedule, was lauded on-line. Posted Fingrid Oyj Unit Manager N. Kimmo, “Excellent commitment and performance from Team Nexans! Thank you for the good cooperation!” Added Olivier Le Galudec, head of Technical Guarantees, “It is great to salute those who repair and build! Work at sea is rough but this team did well. Congratulations.”

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) voted on May 29, 2025, to continue antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CVD) duty orders on aluminum wire and cable imports from China. This decision was made following the USITC’s mandatory five-year “sunset” review, which found that removing the existing orders would likely lead to renewed harm for domestic wire and cable producers.

Per USITC and media reports, the unanimous vote means the 2020 AD and CVD orders remain in force. The final AD duty rates set in 2020 for Chinese exporters of aluminum wire and cable ranged from approximately 33.44% to 63.47%, depending on the specific exporter. The final CVD rates imposed in 2020 for unfair subsidies ranged from about 11.97% to 38.81%, again varying by exporter.

The USITC ruling comes as President Trump has increased Section 232 tariffs on aluminum products, including wire and cable, from 10% to 25% effective March 12, 2025, through Proclamation No. 10895. These tariffs apply to a broad range of aluminum products and remove all previously approved exclusions and quotas. The Section 232 tariffs are imposed under national security provisions and are separate from the AD/CVD duties.

Aluminum and renewable energy company Hydro and power cable solutions provider NKT have signed a landmark long-term agreement for the supply of aluminum wire rod, valued at approximately €1 billion.

A press release said that the deal guarantees a stable supply of low-carbon aluminum from Hydro for NKT, which plans to ramp up production to meet surging demand for medium and high voltage power cables across Europe. The agreement calls for Hydro to supply NKT with an estimated 274,000 metric tons of aluminum wire rod from 2026 through 2033, with an option for additional volumes. The total quantity covered by the contract is enough to manufacture medium-voltage cables that could circle the globe nine times or stretch the entire distance to the moon, about 363,000 km.

The new deal builds on a more than 40-year partnership between the two companies and extends their existing contract for 2025. The agreement is seen as a critical step in supporting Europe’s efforts to modernize its aging grid infrastructure.

The agreement secures NKT access to Hydro’s REDUXA 4.0 primary aluminum, produced in Norway with renewable energy. It has a documented carbon footprint of 4 kg CO2e per kilo aluminum or less, about a quarter of the world industry average.

NKT President and CEO Claes Westerlind said that securing the long-term is important for the company to deliver on the growing demand for power cables as Europe accelerates its energy transition. “Our partnership with Hydro will help us ensure reliable deliveries to our customers and support the continent’s climate ambitions.”

“It is with a sense of urgency that Europe is now mobilizing to reduce dependency on fossil fuel imports, introduce more homegrown, renewable power, and ensure security of supply of critical raw materials,” said Hydro CEO and President Eivind Kallevik.