Prysmian has been selected by SP Transmission plc and National Grid Electricity Transmission plc, owners of the electricity transmission systems in Great Britain, as the preferred bidder for the Eastern Green Link 4 (EGL4) high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable connection.

A press release said that contract negotiations are ongoing and further communications will be provided in due course. The value is estimated at around €2 billion.

The project, which will connect Scotland and England via the North Sea, will play a central role in further strengthening the U.K.’s energy security. EGL4 will help make the U.K. energy grid more resilient for the future, while facilitating the transition to cleaner and more affordable energy.

Prysmian has considerable experience in such interconnection projects in the U.K., including Eastern Green Link 1 and 2 as well as the Viking Link project, which is the longest high voltage underground and submarine interconnection cable in the world.

Per the customer, EGL4 will require approximately 646 km of cable in total. This includes both the subsea section between Kinghorn, Fife (Scotland) and Anderby Creek or West Norfolk (England), and associated onshore underground cable sections at either end. Of this total, the subsea part is about 530 km, with additional underground cable segments bringing the combined installed cable length to around 646 km for the entire project.

Kinderhook Industries (Kinderhook) has acquired Advanced Digital Cable, LLC, (ADC), a wire and cable manufacturer specializing in low-voltage cable that is based in Hayesville, North Carolina, for an undisclosed sum.

A press release said that ADC represents Kinderhook’s eighth wire and cable acquisition to date, “signaling a strategic move to support the company’s growth and innovation.” Kinderhook is a private investment firm with a history of partnering with middle-market companies to accelerate growth.

Founded in 1997 by Steve Payne, ADC began manufacturing coaxial cable during the booming digital cable market. Over nearly three decades, ADC expanded to produce a wide range of wire and cable products. It supplies critical industries such as renewable energy, data centers, manufacturing facilities, power generation, and commercial and residential construction.

ADC Founder Steve Payne said that the deal was an important step forward. “To ensure ADC’s legacy continues and its growth accelerates, investment was needed,” he said. He cited Kinderhook’s legacy “makes them the right partner for our future.”

Of note, Kinderhook recently sold SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS (SDI LaFarga) to the Rhône Group, a U.S.-based global private equity firm. SDI LaFarga President/CEO Kurt Breischaft, who joined the company in 2015 and led it through a period of major growth, has been named CEO of ADC. See p. 26. The industry veteran and former WAI President (2023) has held a range of positions at Belden, Superior Essex and Cerro Wire.

“We are excited about this new chapter,” Breischaft said. “The reputation ADC has earned over the past 27 years is the cornerstone of our business. With Kinderhook’s backing, we will build on those values to drive innovation, strengthen partnerships, and invest in the future of our people and operations.”

Per ADC’s website, the business has three manufacturing facilities. The original facility, located in Hayesville, North Carolina, has undergone six major expansions and now has over 200,000 sq ft of manufacturing space; the plant in Blairsville, Georgia, which opened in 2011, underwent a major expansion in 2018, and has more than 240,000 sq ft of manufacturing space; and the facility in Hiawassee, Georgia, which opened in 2018, was expanded in 2019 to a total of 60,000 sq ft.

NEC, a leading Asian undersea cable manufacturer and installer, may receive hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies from the Japanese government to acquire specialized cable-laying vessels for digital infrastructure projects.

A government statement said that Japan is considering helping cover up to half the cost—potentially $500 million—for two ships, with each vessel estimated at $300 million. It said that the action was necessary because nearly all of Japan’s communications depend on subsea cables, yet domestic firms currently lack sovereign cable-laying capacity. NEC has relied on leasing a Norwegian vessel and other short-term charters, which officials say has exposed Japan to supply chain vulnerabilities and security risks. With foreign competitors in the U.S., France and China owning dedicated fleets, Japan’s government called its lack of owned ships “very serious.”

If approved, NEC’s first ship could be operational by 2027, strengthening the country’s ability to quickly deploy and repair digital networks. The news was posted by Tech Space 2.0 and reported by the Financial Times.

The final approval for Japan’s planned subsidies to NEC for cable-laying vessels would come from the Japanese Cabinet, specifically through the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), which oversees telecommunications and digital infrastructure policy.

The initiative comes after years of deliberation. In 2023, Tokyo designated subsea cables as “vital infrastructure” and required operators to report suspicious activities but stopped short of deeper support. NEC’s CEO warned earlier this year that the company was “the only one fighting with no support” as rivals benefited from direct government backing. France’s Alcatel unit was nationalized, while China provides heavy subsidies to its telecom firms.

NEC’s cable manufacturing and installation businesses operate as a unified enterprise under the NEC Group umbrella, with the entire group engaged in the submarine cable system business and no separate brand names distinguishing manufacturing from installation.

Manufacturing is conducted primarily through OCC Corporation, a subsidiary of NEC, while installation and systems integration are supported by other NEC divisions such as NEC Networks & System Integration Corporation and NEC Platforms, but all activities are marketed collectively as NEC submarine cable solutions.

The current investigation marks one of the most extensive probes into cartel activity in Slovakia’s cable sector to date, signaling heightened competition enforcement in this critical infrastructure market. 

NKT A/S, via its Czech subsidiary, NKT s.r.o., is part of an ongoing probe by the Antimonopoly Office (AMO) of the Slovak Republic.

In a formal announcement on August 27, NKT confirmed it is part of the investigation into alleged collusion among cable industry players in Slovakia, which the company denies. The AMO’s “Request Before the Issuing of a Decision” alleges possible infringements of Slovak and EU competition law involving a local cable association and 11 cable makers, including NKT s.r.o. Proposed fines are outlined but not finalized, and NKT has contested both the findings and the suggested infringement, stating it will present a reasoned defense.

A final decision from the Slovak authorities is expected within six to 12 months. If upheld, NKT plans to consider all available legal remedies, including appeals in Slovak courts. Meanwhile, NKT s.r.o. is also under investigation by Czech competition authorities, along with five other cable manufacturers, with that review still pending.