7/3/2022 - Last year, JDR announced plans to build a new high-voltage U.K. cable plant subject to final agreements. That path just got a lot closer to completion when the project was approved by councilors on the Strategic Planning Committee of the Northumberland County Council (NCC).

A press release said that NCC Deputy Council Leader Richard Wearmouth reported that the project has its full support. “We’re absolutely delighted to be welcoming one of the most advanced subsea cable manufacturing facilities in the world into the county. This brand-new facility will focus on renewable energy products and services, which is crucial towards the county’s carbon neutral plans.”

Plans call for construction to begin this year, with the opening set for 2024. It will create up to 207 high-quality local jobs on completion and safeguard 270 jobs at JDR’s existing facilities. Part of the initial project investment, estimated at £130 million, will come from a grant from the BEIS Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Support (OWMIS) scheme. JDR and TFK plans to raise the remaining funding with support expected from financial institutions and U.K. Export Finance.

The new facility is the first stage of JDR’s plans to expand its product portfolio to support the growing global renewable energy market, adding high-voltage export and long length array cables to its existing capacity and product capabilities. Further stages of the development could result in over 400 staff working at the site, with supplied products complementing JDR’s existing capacity provided by the company’s Hartlepool and Littleport U.K. manufacturing centers.

When complete, the facility will include a new catenary continuous vulcanization (CCV) line, making it the only facility in the U.K. capable of full start-to-finish manufacturing of high voltage subsea cables for offshore wind farms to support the growing global renewable energy market. It will be located on the 16-hectare site of the former coal-fired Blyth power station in Cambois in the northeast of England. It is set to feature a 47.5-m high vertical laying-up machine tower and a 45-m high CVC tower along with cable testing and storage facilities. Construction is due to start in the third quarter of this year and finish in early 2024.

7/3/2022 -  Etihad Etisalat Company (Mobily) has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Telecom Egypt to build the first submarine cable system to directly connect the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Egypt.

Per multiple media reports, the MoU was signed in Riyadh by Eng. Salman Al-Badran, CEO of Mobily, and Adel Hamed, Managing Director, and CEO of Telecom Egypt. The agreement explores various new ways to connect international capacity to Europe in the west, through Telecom Egypt’s network, and to the GCC in the east, through Mobily’s network, which is made possible by expanding the two companies’ networks and connecting them to neighboring countries.

The new cable system aims to meet the rising communication traffic and the large demand for such services between KSA and Egypt.

“By adopting cutting-edge technologies, we continue to expand our infrastructure and scale our capabilities across the KSA and the wider region,” said Salman Al-Badran, CEO of Mobily. “We are confident that our strategic partnership with Telecom Egypt will help achieve our goals.”

The investment allows Prysmian to rapidly transition the Jackson plant to optical cable and increase the production efficiency in other facilities across the region. Prysmian Group North America has 28 manufacturing facilities, eight distribution centers and six R&D centers. The investment also will enable digital inclusion in local communities across North America while supporting the needs of Prysmian’s customers.

6/3/2022 - South Korea’s Taihan Cable and Solution has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a joint venture (JV) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Per a report at www.businesskorea, Taihan Cable and Solution announced that it will establish a joint venture in Saudi Arabia to produce ultra-high voltage cables. It will be the first ultra-high voltage cable plant to be built overseas by Taihan Cable and Solution.

The company is partnering with Mohammed Al-Ojaimi Group, a Saudi Arabian EPC company that specializes in power transmission and distribution. The two companies have secured a factory site in a high-tech industrial complex in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, for the construction of the factory. The site is owned by Mohammed Al-Ojaimi Group and is adjacent to Saudi Taihan Cable Co., a subsidiary of Taihan Cable and Solution that produces electric equipment.

Taihan Cable and Solution is planning to expand the market for its 380kV ultra-high voltage cables from Saudi Arabia to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region including Qatar and Kuwait, and Europe. The company notes that it currently has five production bases: a cable factory and a power equipment factory in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province of Korea, an HV cable factory in Vietnam, an MV cable factory in South Africa and an electric equipment factory in Saudi Arabia. It is also building a submarine cable plant in Dangjin and an optical cable plant in Kuwait.

Per Wikipedia, Taihan Cable & Solution was established in 1955 as the first wire and cable company in South Korea. It has a manufacturing plant in Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheongnam-do and a research center in Gyeonggi-do as well as overseas offices in South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Mongolia, the U.S., Canada, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia.

6/2/2022 -

The Prysmian Group announced that it plans to invest $30 million in its Jackson plant in Tennessee to change its product mix to all optical fiber to meet the increasing demand for optical fiber broadband connectivity driven by federal and state stimulus packages.

A press release said that Prysmian’s total optical cable investment in North America now stands at $115 million, with the Jackson project adding to the $85 million announced last year. These investments increase Prysmian’s optical fiber capacity in its North American plants and expand its telecom footprint to meet customer demand more efficiently. As the market shifts from legacy copper infrastructure to fiber, Prysmian’s manufacturing facilities are adapting to mirror the shift in technology. The Jackson facility will change from producing copper to optical cable, making it the first plant within the Prysmian Group to be re-tooled to produce a different product.

Jackson will increase Prysmian’s capacity in loose tube and drop cables production, and the employees will learn new skills manufacturing optical fiber and cable that will connect homes and cities. Prysmian is a global leader in developing technology for new, reliable and efficient broadband networks, providing valuable new capacity and options for telecom network operators.

“The demand in North America makes us a strategic market globally, and the best way to meet this need is to produce more optical cables here in the US. This optimizes both the quality of service for our customers and the carbon footprint to build a high-performance infrastructure ready for 5G, smart cities and smart homes,” said Patrick Jacobi, Vice President of Telecom, Prysmian Group North America. “These investments are also a part of our global plan to increase capacity to support the digital transformation with innovative products, like the development of new ultra-broadband fiber optic telecommunication networks.”

The investment allows Prysmian to rapidly transition the Jackson plant to optical cable and increase the production efficiency in other facilities across the region. Prysmian Group North America has 28 manufacturing facilities, eight distribution centers and six R&D centers. The investment also will enable digital inclusion in local communities across North America while supporting the needs of Prysmian’s customers.