1/3/2022: The Prysmian Group announced that it has won two milestone offshore wind farm projects in the U.S. worth nearly $900 million, and that—pending final okays—it will build a U.S. power cable plant to manufacture some of the submarine power cable.

A press release said that Vineyard Wind, a 1,200 MW wind farm project, is a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. The contract, worth about $300 million, is for cabling to connect the 804 MW Park City offshore wind farm to the electricity grid in the state of Connecticut. Prysmian will deploy HVAC 275 kV three-core cables with XLPE insulation and single wire armoring. The cables will be produced by Prysmian’s plants in Arco Felice, Italy, and Pikkala, Finland, and installed by the Leonardo da Vinci and Ulisse vessels. Delivery and commissioning are scheduled for 2026.

The 1,200 MW Commonwealth Wind (CW) cable project is worth around $580 million. Prysmian will design, supply, install, and commission as many as three export submarine power cable links to connect CW to the electricity grid in Massachusetts. Prysmian will supply HVAC 275 kV three-core cables with XLPE insulation and single-wire armoring.
Prysmian intends to build a manufacturing facility for submarine transmission cables at Brayton Point, the site of a former coal-fired power plant in Somerset. The CW project agreement is subject to conditions, such as permits and arrangements with the property owner as well as Prysmian."

The CW submarine cables are planned to be produced in the new plant in Massachusetts, as well as at Prysmian plants in Arco Felice and Pikkala. Delivery and commissioning of the export cables are scheduled for 2027. Both cable supply awards are subject to the finalization of Prysmian Group plans to localize its footprint.

Per Common Wealth Magazine, Avangrid Renewables encouraged Prysmian to open a facility in Massachusetts by promising to use it as the supplier for both of the projects. Such a plant would provide some 200 jobs.

The news “confirms the validity of Prysmian’s growth ambition in the fast-developing offshore wind farm industry in the U.S.,” the release said. “Prysmian is also excited to announce significant progress towards its first submarine power cables manufacturing facility in the U.S.” said Prysmian Group Executive President Hakan Ozmen. “While we still have work to do ... it is clear that, with the support of the state of Massachusetts and others, we are in a great position to reach a final agreement that will prompt a major expansion of our company.”
The release said the new projects “are important additions to (Prysmian’s) growing submarine cable and HVDC system portfolio in North America.” The Group’s track record includes interconnections projects like the SOO Green HVDC link, Neptune, TransBay and Hudson River, as well as the Empire Wind interarray projects.

1/3/22 – Leoni will officially close its plant in Chicopee, Massachusetts—the German cable maker’s first wire plant in the U.S., by Feb. 4, resulting in the loss of some 80 jobs.

A press release said that the company tried to but could not find a buyer for the plant, which opened in October 1991. “Unfortunately, despite intensive conversations with several potential investors, it was not possible to find a long-term continuation perspective for LWI, both strategically and financially.” The result is that the plant, which produces cables, ropes and braids for the aerospace, data communications and other industries, will be closed.

A company spokesman said that the operation was not part of the company’s previously announced plans. “As is well known, Leoni AG wants to strategically focus on consolidating its leading position as a supplier of wiring systems for the automotive industry. Against this backdrop, the company has already sold several non-automotive units in 2021.” Last November, WJI reported that Leoni AG had sold the majority of its Wire & Cable Solutions division to strategic investor BizLink Holding Inc. At the time, Leoni AG CEO Aldo Kamper said that the move had to be made. “With this step, we are once again proving that we are consistently continuing to implement our announced and already advanced focus on the Wiring System Division.”

12/6/21 – NKT plans to extend its presence in Poland with a local execution hub that will prepare it for the market opportunities driven by the country’s green transformation in Poland.
A press release said that NKT is now expanding its local presence with an execution center to prepare for a growing demand for both on- and offshore power cables. The center will be located in Gdynia, Poland, close to the Baltic Sea where several offshore wind farms are expected to be located.
The execution center is not a production site but a hub from where a company can execute local projects, both onshore and offshore. “The idea is to first hire cable jointers for installation projects where they are connecting the produced cable lengths. At a later stage, the plan is to hire more project-oriented people to drive offshore wind projects, so the center development is linked to future projects we win in Poland,” a company spokesman said.
NKT expects to hire the first power cable jointers by the end of 2021 and will hire additional people to the execution center as the potential market opportunities emerge with the first offshore wind projects materializing in the coming years. With two existing manufacturing sites in Poland specializing in building wires, low-voltage power cables and PVC compounds, NKT is also well-positioned to meet the growing demand for power cables driven by the expected reinforcement of the Polish power grid.
“We already have a strong footprint in Poland, and it is natural for us to take steps to strengthen our position in the country with the new execution hub,” said NKT CEO Alexander Kara. He noted that NKT is preparing to support Poland’s national ambition to install up to 11 GW of offshore wind capacity in the Baltic Sea by 2040.

12/6/21 – LS Cable & System (LS C&S) announced that it has entered into an MOU for cooperation in the domestic offshore wind power business with Northland Power, a Canadian new and renewable energy developer.
A press release said that in the MOU, the two companies agree to their roles for offshore wind power generation business, agreeing to cooperate in related EPC (design, procurement and construction). Canadian-based Northland Power builds and operates new and renewable energy infrastructure such as wind power and photovoltaics. Founded in 1987, it is seeking to advance into Asian countries such as Taiwan and Japan. LS C&S was a priority supplier of submarine cables for Northland Power’s 1GW Hai Long Wind Farm Project in Taiwan.
As Northland Power is expanding its business in Korea, e.g., the 1.3 GW Dado Ocean Wind Power Project in Jeollanam-do, LS C&S expects to see its sales grow. “With this MOU, we will comply with the government’s new and renewable energy policy and contribute to job creation,” LS C&S President & CEO Roe-Hyun Myung said.
LS C&S also announced that the company signed an agreement on an “industry-finance cooperation program for the promotion of the submarine cable industry” with Korea Development Bank (KDB). LS C&S will receive funds from KDB totaling KRW 1 trillion over the next five years. The money will be used for its environmentally friendly business, such as submarine cables.
“LS Cable & System is investing huge amounts of money in the submarine cable industry in line with the government’s carbon neutral policy,” said the company.