The Wire & Cable Manufacturers Alliance (WCMA) will honor the winners of its 2025 Distinguished Career Award at The 39th Annual Awards Dinner and Investiture Ceremony that will take place on March 29, 2025, in Hartford, Connecticut, at the Downtown Hartford Marriott Hotel.

The Award Ceremony recognizes individuals in wire and cable who served the industry for a minimum of 25 years and during that time demonstrated outstanding professional acumen along with personal attributes of an exceptional degree. The Award was originally named for the late Charles D. Scott (1915-1983), founder and president of Northeast Wire Co. The 2025 recipients are listed below.

Bob Allen, Engineering Manager, James Monroe Wire & Cable

Lenny Argentine, VP Sales & Marketing, International Wire

Mike Canterino, VP Engineering, Fluoropolymer Resources

John Gross, Publisher, Copper Journal

Hamid Haophsy, VP Manufacturing, Fisk Alloy Wire

Trent Hayes, Engineering Manager, CommScope

Joe Iamartino, VP of Technology, Marmon Electrical

David Kiddoo, CEO, IWCS/CCCA

To make a reservation or for more information about WCMA or the Distinguished Career Award, go to www.wcmainc.org, and click on premier events or contact WCMA Executive Director Ed Fenton at 860-331-7074 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The UAE, Italy, and Albania have signed a tripartite cooperation agreement to build a subsea interconnection across the Adriatic Sea, valued at approximately €1 billion, with a target completion date of 2028.

Per multiple media reports, the project is designed to transfer renewable energy from Albania to Italy to strengthen energy infrastructure in the Mediterranean region. The energy generated in Albania will be transferred to Italy via an underwater cable crossing the Adriatic Sea that would add to existing connections between Italy and the Balkans that include a 430-km subsea power link from Montenegro to Italy. The undersea cable will have the capacity to carry up to 1,000 megawatts of electricity, marking a significant milestone in renewable energy integration.

The deal, signed at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, will leverage the UAE’s expertise in solar and wind energy to bolster Albania’s renewable energy capacity. “The investment agreement for the underwater connection of the energy distribution network with Italy, as well as for investments in increasing production from renewable sources in Albania, was signed today,” said the Albanian government in a statement.

The underwater cable would link the Albanian port of Vlore with Italy’s Puglia region. The key participants would be Italian grid operator Terna and the UAE’s National Energy Company (Taqa). The project would allow Albania to invest in and develop its untapped solar and wind potential, while helping Italy reduce CO2 emissions and decrease reliance on non-allied states.

UAE Industry and Technology Minister Sultan al-Jaber described the agreement as a “far-sighted collaboration” that connects Albania’s renewable energy potential, the UAE’s expertise and Italy’s sophisticated energy market. Al-Jaber, who also chaired the COP28 climate summit, said the initiative aligns with global goals to triple renewable energy capacity and transition away from fossil fuels.

Italy is currently developing the Elmed submarine cable between Italy and Tunisia and the SoutH2 Corridor for the transport of hydrogen from North Africa to Central Europe, passing through Italy.

In 2019, Italian energy firm Terna inaugurated a similar cable connecting Montenegro and Italy, following an investment of €1.1bn.

Italy’s Danieli has provided a tailor-made roughing mill featuring shiftable stands for a Nippon Steel plant in Kamaishi, Japan.

Per a Danieli press release, the new mill can provide twist-free rolling of 130- to 168-mm billets at 130 tph. The installation of the shiftable roughing mill, in a narrow space, increased billet charging flexibility and efficiency. The produced billets will be used to manufacture wire rod at the same facility. It started operations in 1961 and was described as the longest-running wire rod mill currently operating in Japan.

The Kamaishi operation includes a three-strand wire-rod mill that produces special steel wire rod in mild and hard steel wire, low-alloy steel, spring steel, special melt wire, and bearing steel grades. The main equipment supplied includes two mono-groove vertical and horizontal housingless stands.

In December 2024, Italy’s Tratos Cavi S.A.  completed its acquisition of Spain’s TELNET Fibre Optic S.L.U., which has a firm base in fiber optics technology.

A press release and media reports outlined how the strategic move was expected to significantly boost Tratos’ position in the fiber optic technology sector and expand its presence. The long list of cited advantages includes the following key benefits and expectations: expanded production capacity, as TELNET’s facilities add more than 12,000 sq m of manufacturing space with an annual output of 1.5 million km of fiber optic cables; enhanced technological capabilities as TELNET’s expertise in fiber optic cables and passive optical components complements Tratos’ existing product portfolio; market expansion, as it allows Tratos to establish a strong foothold in Spain and enhance its commercial operations in the region; increased revenue; a broader product range and more innovation, as the merger makes it possible to offer a more comprehensive range of solutions for high-speed connectivity and advanced telecommunications infrastructure while adding TELNET’s R&D capabilities will help Tratos achieve further technological advancements in the telecom industry; and strategic growth, as this deal fits well into the broader strategy of Tratos to strengthen its presence across Europe and expand into new markets.

The release noted TELNET has an impressive customer base that includes: fibre optic cables for several high-profile clients in Spain and across Europe, including Telefónica de España S.A.U., Vodafone Spain, MasOrange, DIGI Spain Telecom, ADIF, and international operators like IP Telecom Portugal, Vodafone UK, Portugal Telecom, Cabo Verde Telecom, Digi Belgium, Telecom Argentina, Telefónica Argentina, Telefónica Uruguay, Colombia Telecomunicaciones and Unsere Grüne Glasfaser (UGG) in Germany.

The Ducab Group, a UAE-based end-to-end solutions provider and manufacturer, announced that it has expanded its presence in Africa by supplying 220 kV high-voltage (HV) cables to Senegal for the first time.

A press release said that the sale, for a critical component of a Dakar project, will help upgrade the power infrastructure of Senegal’s capital to meet increasing energy demands. This initiative supports Senegal’s ambitious goal of achieving universal electricity access by 2026.

The order from Senegal represents the 23rd African country to have been supplied by Ducab’s cable portfolio. Some other African nations it exports to include Angola, South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Egypt. Ducab operates in 75 global markets. Also, its revenues grew by 1% in 2024, and its expectations for 2025 call for a 15% increase. In terms of volume, Ducab recorded a 4% growth in 2024 and estimates a 21% surge in 2025.

The activity stems from Ducab’s African Growth Strategy: This expansion is part of Ducab’s broader growth strategy in Africa, and aligns with the UAE’s recent $4.5 billion pledge to fund renewable energy initiatives in Africa. Charles Mellagui, CEO of Ducab Cables Business, emphasized the importance of this milestone, stating that it not only strengthens Dakar’s energy infrastructure but also reinforces Ducab’s commitment to delivering reliable, world-class solutions across Africa.