Bekaert Corporation announced that it will expand production of wire stranding at its Van Buren manufacturing facility in Alabama.

Per the company and multiple wire stories, Bekaert is purchasing new manufacturing equipment for products used in the electrical grid and telecommunications industries. Bekaert Plant Manager Randy McClaren Jr., was cited as saying that the expansion is not to increase the footprint of the plant but its capacity to make steel cores used for electrical transmission lines.

The Van Buren plant, which began production for Bekaert in 1970, had its wire stranding capacity increased in 2021. There is room to expand the size of the plant, which also makes barbed wire and other products that are not part of the expansion. The new project should result in another 38 employees. Bekaert also has a manufacturing operation in Rogers, Arkansas.

In other news, Bekaert announces the acquisition of BEXCO, a manufacturer of synthetic ropes that can be used for offshore energy production, both conventional and renewable. Bekaert notes that it has significant experience in this field via its Bridon-Bekaert Ropes Group business unit. The €40 million acquisition “is part of Bekaert’s growth strategy and strengthens its current offering in synthetic offshore lifting and mooring solutions.”

Southwire announced that it will expand the company’s Cofer Technology Center in Carrollton, Georgia

A press release said the expansion will add approximately 50,000 sq ft to Southwire’s footprint and include a manufacturing line for production of R&D wire samples. The facility will have a focus on engineering with sustainable components, such as creating cable with recyclable plastic insulation materials.

“I am thrilled to share this announcement of Southwire’s investment in the R&D space,” said Southwire COO Norman Adkins, who described it as promising time for both the industry and Southwire. “The facility represents our progress as a company as we drive forward into the next chapter of electrical innovation.” 

The new facility has been engineered with the qualifications for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification in mind. LEED, which is awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is a widely respected recognition of sustainable design and energy conservation in buildings.

“Our industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, driven by a global focus on sustainability, renewables, electric vehicles and grid transformation, just to name a few,” said Axel Schlumberger, senior vice president of research and development. “The expansion of our R&D facilities will enable that growth in strategic growth market verticals and accelerate innovation and the development of new solutions for our core and emerging markets.” 

The expansion should be completed by the end of 2024, with the facility fully functional by the end of 2025.

Belden, a leading global supplier of network infrastructure and digitization solutions, has opened a new state-of-the-art Fiber Technology Center in Tucson, Arizona.

A press release said that the 300,000-sq-ft facility will serve as a multifunctional hub where Belden’s fiber experts lead optical fiber cable and connectivity innovation, research and development. It will also support warehousing, distribution, administration and manufacturing as the company continues to grow its optical fiber capabilities. The site furthers the company’s continued leadership in and commitment to optical fiber, as digital transformation accelerates demand for the bandwidth fiber offers.

The Fiber Technology Center will amplify the work being done in the company’s existing fiber facilities and test labs around the world, including eight manufacturing plants and two research and development sites. It is located close to not only airports, freight terminals and logistics hubs but also to the University of Arizona and the area’s talented tech workforce, the Fiber Technology Center is positioned to streamline and strengthen Belden’s supply chain and increase production of U.S.-based optical fiber manufacturing—all while connecting qualified engineers to new career opportunities.

The development brings new benefits to customers. Those include that Belden products will be distributed closer to the U.S. West Coast so customers can get the products they need faster; FiberExpress fiber assemblies can be made and shipped in two to five business days; same-day shipping will be available for eligible fiber cables and connectivity; and it will allow for better prototyping capabilities.

 “As Belden continues to expand fiber production and innovation to help customers build the future, the Fiber Technology Center will allow us to elevate our work and find new ways to respond to customer demand,” said Jay Wirts, the company’s executive vice president of enterprise solutions.

NKT reports that it will deliver 1,300 km of 20 kV cables to distribution system operator (DSO) Tauron to support a stronger, more robust power grid in Poland.

A press release said that with more than 400 employees in Poland, NKT is committed to the country and supporting its power grid upgrade projects. It noted that renewable power is playing an increasingly important role in Poland’s energy mix with a goal of it making up more than 30% of the country’s energy mix by 2030. This will include a significant increase of installed capacity in solar power of approximately 5-7 GW in 2030 and between 10-16 GW by 2040.

The 20 kV power cable will be delivered throughout 2024-2025 to the Tauron Group, which was described as the largest electricity distributor in Poland. The Tauron Group supplies 51.6 TWh of electricity over an area of 57,000 sq km, serving 5.8 million customers in Southern Poland.

LS Cable & System (LS C&S) announced that it has begun mass production of 525 kV High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) cables for the first time at its plant in Donghae-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea.

A press release said that few manufacturers have succeeded in commercializing the high-voltage cables. The 525 kV DC cables will be used for TenneT’s 2 GW grid connection systems BalWin4 & LanWin1.

LS C&S signed a long-term supply contract with TenneT last May that it said was the largest single order ever obtained by any cable company in the world. The use of HVDC is increasing, especially in long-distance transmission networks, because this cable can transmit large amounts of power over long distances with lower losses compared to AC (alternating current). It is primarily used for long distance cables to connect offshore wind and interconnectors to accelerate especially the grid expansion in Europe. The European Union has recently increased their offshore targets to 60 GW by 2030 and 300 GW by 2050.

In other news, LS EcoEnergy CEO Lee Sang-ho said that the company—a business of LS C&S—has entered into negotiations to secure land for a submarine cable project in the U.K. “If we succeed in localizing in Europe, we will be able to secure economic feasibility and supply our products not only to the U.K. but also to neighboring countries.”

The goal is to lease land at the Port of Tyne in the northeast. The size of the project site, including the port, is approximately154,711 sq m. LS EcoEnergy’s negotiations will be conducted jointly with Global Interconnection Group (GIG), a British energy sector investment company. GIG is known to be pursuing a multi-billion-dollar offshore grid (undersea cable connection) project between the U.K. and Iceland.

As noted earlier, Europe plans to expand the power generation capacity of offshore wind farms, and the industry believes that the supply of submarine cables will be absolutely insufficient compared to the power generation plan, the release said. “In addition to the expansion of subsidies, the trend of excluding products from certain countries due to security concerns is also becoming an advantageous factor in localization.”

LS Cable & System is actively pursuing the expansion of its subsea business, targeting North America, Europe, and Asia, through cooperation with LS EcoEnergy and LS Marine Solutions.

Sumitomo to acquire German manufacturer to make cable for 2 orders worth €3 billion

Japan’s Sumitomo Electric announced that it will buy a controlling interest in Südkabel, and that it plans to expand production capacity at its plant in Mannheim, Germany, to manufacture 525 kV HVDC cable for two German net-zero projects worth an estimated €3 billion.

A press release said that Amprion, a German transmission system operator (TSO), needs the 525 kV HVDC cable for sections of the Korridor B and Rhein-Main-Link projects. Amprion signed a Preferred Supplier Agreement (PSA) for the two projects that will be finalized at a later date. Based on the PSA, Sumitomo has committed to providing the capacity, and to that end, it plans to invest in Südkabel. The deal allows Amprion to have its cable made in Germany.

The first order is for the HVDC cable for the approximately 300 km-long V49 link of the Korridor B direct current project between the Wilhelmshaven substations in Schleswig-Holstein and Hamm in North Rhine-Westphalia. The second order is for part of the Rhein-Main-Link, a 500-km energy route through an underground cable connection that will transport electricity from offshore wind farms in the North Sea to the Rhein-Main region.

Per the website of Südkabel, the company has had different names since it was originally founded in Mannheim in 1898 as Süddeutsche Kabelwerke (Südkabel). In 1970, the Kabel- und Lackdrahtfabriken GmbH (Kabel+Draht) was formed by merging several companies. Kabel+Draht was owned by Brown, Boveri & Cie. (BBC) for 18 years. With the formation of ABB AG through the merger of Asea and BBC, the name of the company was changed to ABB Kabel und Draht GmbH in 1988. In 1997, the power cable activities continued under the name ABB Energiekabel GmbH. On Jan. 1, 2004, Johann Erich Wilms acquired the cable and accessories plant with all its activities in Mannheim from ABB, and since then, the company has again operated under its traditional name of Südkabel GmbH. The company has approximately 260 employees.

The new projects will be ongoing over the next 10 years. Per its press release, Sumitomo Electric will have a 90% share of Südkabel, and will invest approximately €90 million to expand its production capacity in Mannheim to locally produce the highest end 525kV HVDC cable.

“With (the) acquisition of Südkabel, we can fully localize our operation in Germany to support Amprion and the energy transition in the country,” said Masaki Shirayama, CEO of Sumitomo’s Electric, Wire and Energy Unit. “Along with our new submarine cable factory being constructed in Scotland, we will further reinforce and expand our high voltage power cable capabilities in the region.”