7/3/2022 - Nexans and its partners have won a project from Bpifrance (French Public Investment Bank) that calls for the installation of two superconducting DC cables near Montparnasse station in Paris, a unique integration of such cables into a railway system.

A press release said that the project is part of the “Investissements d’Avenir” (Investments for the Future) initiative coordinated by SNCF Réseau. It represents the first time that these types of cables will be integrated into a rail network and is set to be the first permanent installation in France on any network. With their revolutionary technology, these power cables will help secure the network

at a time when rail traffic is constantly growing in mega-cities.

Built in 1840 in Paris, Montparnasse is France’s fourth-largest train station, with more than 50 million passengers annually and more than 90 million expected in 2030. SNCF Réseau will thus need more power to run an ever-increasing number of trains. And superconductor cable technology will help provide the increased electrical power required to meet the needs of this growing rail traffic. The superconducting cables will make use of Montparnasse station’s infrastructure by installing the cables in existing conduits.

“Only a superconducting cable can combine a reduced diameter and exceptional power to deliver the performance required by SNCF Réseau: 5.3 MW per conduit, or 3,500 A to 1,500 VDC,” the release said. “This also enables our customer to save on substantial implementation costs related to infrastructure modification, avoid potential disruptions to rail and road traffic, and limit risks in terms of execution time and the commissioning date.”

The release observed that superconducting power cables offer unparalleled advantages as they have zero resistance, so they can transport electricity with minimal power loss and thus contribute to making the world more sustainable. “This project illustrates perfectly how their compact nature enables them to transport very high power through a limited space. A single superconducting cable can replace multiple copper cables. Also, it has a minimal footprint, making high-capacity 1,500 V connections possible, which in turn improves the safety of the stations’ power supply.”

7/3/2022 - Prysmian Group recently broke ground on a $50 million expansion project at its Marshall plant in Texas to support growth in the power distribution and transmission markets.

A press release said that the $50 million project, scheduled for completion in early summer of 2023, will see the plant expand to over a million sq ft and include capability upgrades. “As part of Prysmian’s original $100 million commitment made last October to upgrade plants across its North American footprint, this investment is helping to meet the need for infrastructure upgrades in the region and the growing demand for clean energy sources.”

Prysmian Group acquired General Cable in 2018 and expanded its North American footprint. The Marshall facility currently has more than 400 employees and will add 75 new positions including machine operators, logistics and skilled trades. “We have a strong team here in Marshall, and I’m looking forward to seeing it expand. This investment is the beginning of big things for our community,” said David Cooper, Marshall Plant Director. Marshall has started hiring for the open positions and plans to complete the process in the fall.

“The Marshall expansion is crucial in our commitment to develop the next generation power distribution and transmission grids that will support the energy transition in the U.S. and Canada,” said Andrea Pirondini, CEO of Prysmian Group North America. “This investment is another step towards transforming how our region distributes and transmits power throughout North America.

The Marshall facility is the Group’s largest plant in North America where the bulk of the region’s renewable energy products are manufactured, and the investment is crucial to enabling the energy transition and digital transformation across the region.

Prysmian has recently seen major project announcements, such as for the largest submarine cable contact in the U.S. from Dominion Energy, along with the Vineyard Offshore Wind Farm Project and the SOO Green Link Project to deliver high-voltage direct current underground transmission cables along existing railroad corridors.

7/3/2022 - GEON Performance Solutions announced that it has acquired Cary Compounds, LLC, which is based in Manalapan, New Jersey, and will see its assets consolidated into Cary manufacturing campuses to best service the geographic needs of its customers.

A press release said that the Cary name has had a good reputation for its quality and high-end formulas dating back to when Ken Cary started the business in 1999. “Charlie Cary and the team have built on that reputation in the wire and cable industry, with exceptional formulary, customer service and manufacturing expertise as its key differentiators,” said GEON CEO Tracy Garrison. “We look forward to using that same personalized service that our Cary customers value as we introduce an expanded portfolio of highly engineered polymer solutions offered by GEON.”

“We have been watching GEON expand and evolve in the marketplace and are pleased the tradition of quality and excellence built by the Cary team will now live on in GEON,” said Charlie Cary. “This is an exciting day for wire and cable manufacturers and our employees who will enjoy a strong competitive advantage with GEON’s strong culture and global leadership position.”

GEON is a global leader in the formulation, development, and manufacture of performance polymer solutions. It has 1,000 global associates and 11 world-class manufacturing plants with headquarters in a western suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. It is a portfolio company of SK Capital Partners, a private investment firm with a disciplined focus on the specialty materials, specialty chemicals, and pharmaceuticals sectors.

7/3/2022 - SubCom’s cable installation vessel, the CS Durable, landed the IRIS Subsea Telecoms Cable System (IRIS) at Thorlakshofn beach in Iceland on May 23.

Per a report at SubCom’s website, the landing signifies the commencement of the marine installation of the IRIS cable system that Farice has been developing since 2019. During the summer months, SubCom’s CS Durable will lay the cable south from Iceland to Galway, Ireland, with final splice and completion of marine work planned for mid-August 2022.

Marine survey of the entire route was done by Farice in 2020 and 2021. SubCom completed the final design, preparation work, and manufacturing of the system during 2021-2022. The cable installation progressed at some 20-200 km per day with burial or surface lay from Iceland to Ireland. The target burial depth of the cable was 1.5 m beneath the seabed in water depth of up to 1,500 m.

Designed as a six-fiber pair trunk with a total system capacity of 108 Tbps (each fiber pair delivers 18Tbs), IRIS will be approximately 1,700 km in length and connect southwest of Iceland to Ballyloughane Strand in Galway, Ireland. The cable was made at SubCom’s plant in Newington, New Hampshire.

The IRIS system will be ready for service in the beginning of 2023. It will be the third submarine fiber optic cable system connecting Iceland with Europe, providing further redundancy in telecom connection, with low latency connections around 10.5 ms, between Reykjavík and Dublin.

Farice, a connectivity provider owned by the Icelandic Government, owns and operates two submarine cable systems that connect Iceland to Europe: FARICE-1 and DANICE. The newest cable system will improve the diversity of adequate connections to support the continued growth of Iceland’s modern community and international business environment.