Prysmian reports that the company has won three turnkey projects to supply and install submarine inter-array cable systems that will represent France’s first large-scale offshore wind farms, and collectively require 345 km of cable.
A press release said that two of the projects, from Eolien Maritime France (EMF), are for two offshore wind farms—Fécamp and Courseulles-sur-Mer, owned by EMF and wpd offshore GmbH—located off the North France coast. Those contracts are worth more than €200 million, and are expected to be completed next year. A third project, for the Saint Nazaire wind farm—also owned by Eolien Maritime France—is worth more than €20 million, and is being secured by a consortium between Prysmian and Louis Dreyfus Travocean.
“These new important awards confirm that we have all the capabilities to achieve our ambitious growth targets in the offshore wind farm market,” said Hakan Ozmen, an executive vice president of the Prysmian Group. “Our investments have strengthened both our production capacity and installation capabilities and the market is showing its confidence in us.”
The three wind farms will require 33 kV three–core submarine cable systems with XLPE insulation. The Fécamp project will connect 83 wind turbine generators (WTGs) with a total capacity of 498 MW, while Courseulles-sur-Mer will connect 75 WTGs with a total capacity of 450 MW. Cable, accessories and terminating services will also be provided by Prysmian for the 80 WTGs for the 480-MW capacity of Saint Nazaire.
The projects, the release said, will represent France’s first large-scale offshore wind farms. Prysmian will rely on the resources of General Cable’s NSW subsidiary. Cable cores will be manufactured at the Group’s center of excellence in Montereau-fault-yonne, France, and then assembled and finished in Nordenham, Germany, providing the French market with Prysmian’s locally manufactured cable systems.
For Fécamp and Courseulles-sur-Mer, Prysmian will be the turnkey provider, supplying and installing all interarray cables between the WTGs. Delivery and commissioning of the cables are expected during the period 2020-2022, depending on the individual project timelines.
“These awards represent an important milestone for Prysmian as they are related to the first major projects in this market and they show that our ambition of becoming a one-stop service provider covering the entire supply chain is credible and sustainable,” said Alessandro Panico, sales team manager, offshore wind, Prysmian Group. To date, the Group notes that it has secured offshore wind projects worth more than €650M in 2017-2018.
Industry News
India has initiated an anti-subsidy probe into alleged increased imports of select copper wire rods from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam that led to complaints from domestic players that include Hindalco Industries and Vedanta Industries.
A story in Economic Times said that the commerce ministry’s investigating arm, the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), has stated that production and exports of continuous cast copper wire rods in these four countries appear to be subsidized. That activity has caused material injury to the domestic industry through their volume and price effects, it said. The authority’s investigation will cover 12 months over 2017-18 as well as data from 2014-17.
The directorate will determine the existence, degree and effect of alleged subsidization. If found necessary, the office will recommend the appropriate amount of countervailing or anti-subsidy duties needed to protect the domestic industry.
In the application filed with the office by Hindalco Industries and Vedanta Industries (Sterlite Copper) on behalf of domestic industry, they claimed that the producers/exporters of the goods in these countries have benefited from the "actionable subsidies" provided at various levels by the governments of these countries, including their different provinces and municipalities, and asked for remedies.
India has already imposed countervailing and anti-dumping duties on various kinds of steel from China.
JSW Steel Limited has signed a contract with Primetals Technologies for a two-strand wire rod mill to be located in Toranagallu, India.
A press release said that Primetals Technologies will supply the complete wire rod mill. That includes all mechanical and electrical equipment for two-strand production from a single-stand roughing mill. Two independent rolling lines will then join at the coil-handling area for further compacting and unloading. Among other Morgan-branded equipment, the mill will include a new design of individually driven pre-finishing mill that eliminates the need for uploopers, a faster cooling nozzle clamping and unclamping method for shorter change
times, the latest generation 6 Morgan high-speed laying head with SR Series pipe technology, and a recently patented stepless reform design.
The contract also includes site supervision and spare parts, the release said. Designed for a guaranteed maximum speed of 115 m per second, the mill will run at 220 tons per hour for an annual capacity of 1.2 mmt. Start-up is scheduled for the end of 2019.
The release said that this represents the third such purchase by JSW Steel from Primetals Technologies, which previously installed a single-strand wire rod mill and a bar mill.
Part of the JSW Group, JSW Steel was founded in 1994 and exports to more than 100 countries on five continents. At its website, JSW notes, “We are India’s largest steel exporter and ship to over a hundred companies across five continents. And we are just warming up.”
TE Connectivity reports that it will sell its subsea communications business (SubCom) to equity firm Cerberus Capital Management for $325 million in cash.
A press release said that SubCom has completed more than 100 cable systems and deployed over 610,000 km of cable through its eight cable ships. The deal, which includes the plant, 63 employees, and all the related process, development and sales elements, is expected to close by the first quarter of 2019.
TE Connectivity, which has an annual revenue of $13 billion from connectivity business, reports that it will use proceeds from the sale to fund share repurchases. “It strengthens our business model; resulting in a stronger growth profile, reduced cyclicality, higher margins and a greater return on investment,” said TE Connectivity CEO Terrence Curtin.
In other news, SubCom reports that it has won a contract from MainOne, a global connectivity and data center solutions provider, to extend its submarine cable system into West Africa’s francophone region. Its additional branches connecting Senegal (Dakar) and Cote D’Ivoire (Abidjan) will connect to MainOne’s 7,000-km cable system, which extends from Portugal to Nigeria, and will inject new technology that upgrades the system to a potential capacity of 10TBps by November 2019 when the subsea system becomes operational.
Germany’s SKET Verseilmaschinenbau GmbH reports that it has installed and commissioned two lines that have been approved by the customer, Hengtong Submarine Power Cable Co., Ltd. (Hengtong)
A press release said that SKET supplied a vertical stranding line and an armoring line, where were signed off by Manager Qian Zhikang and Production Manager Pan Wenlin for production of high-voltage offshore power cable (220kV, 3x500 mm², XLPE insulated) that could be as long as 27 km.
The project was able to be completed in less than two years because of the mutual efforts and cooperation between the Hengtong and SKET staff, the release said. SKET provided its unique technology for the units that included the bearing concept turntable, taping units, bitumen units, for its intended use in producing extra-long power cables. SKET also supplied a rigid strander for making 500-sq-mm copper conductors for use in extraordinary lengths
The release said that the order from Hengtong represents SKET’s first project from a Chinese cable manufacturer. "This project can be seen as a milestone of SKET’s activities in Asia."
The HV offshore power cable is a key markets for cable manufacturers in China. For Hengtong, this will be its first time producing such a long offshore power cable without any joints, which makes this order "a big success for all parties in this project."
Citing a high cost basis and pricing pressure, Bekaert announced that it will close Bekaert Costa Rica SA plant in Orotina, Costa Rica, which manufactures Dramix® steel fiber, which will continue to be offered from other Bekaert plants.
A press release said that Costa Rica Bekaert currently employs 147 people in two legal entities in Orotina: Bekaert Costa Rica SA (64 people) and BIA Alambres Costa Rica SA (83 people). The Bekaert Costa Rica SA entity manufactures Dramix steel fibers for concrete reinforcement while BIA Alambres Costa Rica SA produces steel wire products for agricultural fencing and construction markets. Both entities belong to the same partnership in which the Bekaert Ideal Holding—an 80/20 partnership between Bekaert and its Ecuadorian partners, represented by members of the Kohn family—holds 73% of the shares and ArcelorMittal the remaining 27%.
Management has informed the employees about the decision, and plans to offer a transfer for 20 part-time employees to its sister plant.
The plant was opened in 2014.
India’s Sterlite Tech announced that it plans to add 15 million km to its optical-fiber cabling capacity, raising its total potential production to 33 million fiber km.
A press release said that the expansion for the integrated optical fiber and cable manufacturer will cost about $44 million). The project, to be completed in stages, is expected to come on-line by June 2020. It said that drivers for the initiative include strong market demand for "deep fiberization" for 5G, FTTx and data center connectivity.
"Given exponential data growth, telcos, internet companies and governments around the globe are looking for innovative network solutions for hyper-scale connectivity," said CEO Dr. Anand Agarwal. "Our customers see us as unique design-build-manage partners who are forward integrated from fiber and cable to network design and software solutions. This capacity investment will further deepen our customer engagement as we partner with them for network buildouts."
The company is expanding its solutions portfolio very rapidly. Recently, it announced a 100% acquisition of Metallurgica Bresciana in Italy for cable expansion, while earlier it had announced an expansion of its optical fiber capacity via a Greenfield investment. Sterlite Tech is also actively working on software-defined networks in virtualized environments.
The Prysmian Group reports that it has won a turnkey contract worth approximately €21 million from the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) for two interconnections between the Cyclades islands of Evia, Andros and Tinos.
A press release said that the order from IPTO, the transmission system operator of the Greek electricity system, calls for the design, supply and installation of two turnkey High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) cable systems. Designed to transmit a power of 200 MVA, the elements consist of 150 kV three core cables with XLPE insulation and double-wire armoring and associated fiber optic cable system along a total route of over 18 km (16.5 km submarine, 2 km land) for the interconnection between the four landfalls to the Greek islands.
The submarine cables will be manufactured in the company’s Arco Felice plant in Naples while the land cables will be produced in the Pignataro plant, also in Naples. The marine cable laying activities will be done by the Group’s "Giulio Verne" cable-laying vessel. The maximum water depth expected will be in the range of 550 m in the link between the islands Evia and Andros.
Production of both submarine and land cables will be carried out during 2018-2019. Delivery and commissioning is scheduled for Q3 2019.
The new project confirms Prysmian’s role and commitment in developing the Mediterranean region’s power grids and particularly in deep-water cable installation, the release said. It also proves the validity of Prysmian’s know-how and HVAC technologies.
This project follows the 2014 contract awarded by IPTO for the submarine interconnection between the island of Syros (Cyclades) and the mainland power transmission System in Lavrion, Greece.
The release said that Prysmian has a long-standing track record in the development of submarine interconnection milestone projects in the entire Mediterranean region, such as Italy-Greece, Sardinia-Italian Peninsula (SA.PE.I.), two interconnections between Spain and Morocco, two projects in the Balearic islands (Spanish mainland to Majorca and Ibiza to Majorca), the Cyclades project in Greece, Capri-Torre Annunziata and Capri-Sorrento in Italy and the Dardanelles link in Turkey.
JSW Steel Limited has signed a contract with Primetals Technologies for the supply and installation of a two-strand wire rod mill that will be located in Toranagallu, India. Start-up is expected at the end of 2019.
A press release said that Primetals Technologies will supply the complete wire rod mill. That includes all mechanical and electrical equipment for two-strand production from a single-stand roughing mill. Two independent rolling lines will then join at the coil-handling area for further compacting and unloading. Among other Morgan-branded equipment, the mill will include a new design of individually driven pre-finishing mill that eliminates the need for uploopers, a faster cooling nozzle clamping and unclamping method for shorter change times, the latest generation 6 Morgan High Speed Laying Head with SR Series pipe technology, and a recently patented stepless reform design.
The contract also includes site supervision and spare parts, the release said. Designed for a guaranteed maximum speed of 115 m per second, the mill will run at 220 tons per hour for an annual capacity of 1.2 mmt. Start-up is scheduled for the end of 2019.
The release said that this represents the third such purchase by JSW Steel from Primetals Technologies, JSW Steel, which previously installed a single-strand wire rod mill and a bar mill.
The new mill will be built in JSW Steel, based in Mumbai, India, is a leading integrated steel manufacturer in India with a capacity of 18 million metric tons per year. Owned by JSW Group, JSW Steel was founded in 1994 and exports its products to more than 100 countries on five continents. At its website, JSW notes, We are India’s largest steel exporter and ship to over a hundred companies across five continents. And we are just warming up.”
Corning Inc. has signed up to be the first tenant in a new business park being built in Hickory, North Carolina, a $60 million investment in its Optical Communications division.
A story by David Boraks, WFAE, said that city and Catawba County officials report that the plant will be built on 27 acres at the Trivium Corporate Center, between Robinwood and Startown roads. Local officials had been referring to the plan as "Project Wave" during negotiations with Corning.
The announcement came after the Hickory City Council and Catawba County Commission approved a series of incentives that provide Corning the land, valued at $605,000, and granting up to $1.7 million in tax rebates over five years. Corning also was given an option to acquire another 4.4 acres.
The project was expected to create 110 new jobs, the report said. Corning has committed to creating 75 new jobs by Dec. 31, 2020, and the remainder by Dec. 31, 2023. The manufacturing capacity will be used to produce a range of optical fiber and cable.
"Corning is investing in tomorrow’s growth today, as the growing number of connected devices fuels demand for our optical fiber and cable innovations," Dr. Bernhard Deutsch, vice president and general manager of Corning Optical Fiber and Cable, said in a statement.
Corning has more than 4,000 employees in North Carolina, in both cable manufacturing and life sciences. It is also building a new headquarters for the cable business, off I-485 in northwest Charlotte. That operation is expected to relocate to Charlotte from Hickory next year and could eventually employ up to 650 people.
Following the collapse of the westernmost pylon of a 51-year-old bridge in Genoa that killed 43 people, efforts to pinpoint the cause have centered on what was described as the bridge’s “unusual stay cables” design.
Crossing the Polcevera Valley, the 1.1-km-long viaduct included three cable-stayed sections on the east side, with spans ranging from about 142 m to 207 m. The westernmost pylon (span 9) collapsed during a storm before noon on Aug. 14. About 240 m of deck dropped some 45 m onto a highway, rail track and buildings.
Per a report in Engineering News-Record, Paris-based cable-stayed bridge engineer Michel Virlogeux—who studied the structure’s design and saw a video of the collapse—suspects cable failure. The bridge’s design was unusual in that it had a small number of stays, which provided no redundancy. Also, their prestressing created a “dynamic effect” when ruptured, hastening collapse, he said.
The report said that the stays of span 11 were reinforced over their full lengths with external steel plates in the 1990s, and that the tops of stays of span 10 were reinforced, but no retrofitting appears to have been made on the collapsed span 9. Following the collapse, the infrastructure and transportation ministry ordered an urgent review of an estimated 10,000 bridges older than 50 years.
The Asia America Gateway (AAG) undersea cable—a 20,000-km-long submarine communications cable system that connects South-East Asia with the mainland of the United States, across the Pacific Ocean via Guam and Hawaii—has reported its fourth service outage this year.
The Vietnam Post and Telecoms Group (VNPT) reports that the cable broke down on August 23, the fourth incident to date in 2018, affecting Vietnam’s international internet connections. It attributed the service break to a power leakage at a point about 250 km offshore the cable’s landing point in Vung Tau (Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province).
The AAG cable is notorious for its frequent breaks and outages since it started service in late 2009. Most of the outages have been located at the intra-Asia segments between Hong Kong and Singapore, with most problems occurring in the Vietnam section, while the segment between Hong Kong and the Philippines seems to have fewer problems.
The $560-million AAG cable handles more than 60% percent Vietnam’s international internet traffic. Since its debut, the cable has encountered a “very high” risk of rupture and been under frequent repair, affecting all service providers in Vietnam. The cable suffered technical errors at least five times in 2017.
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