Wirenet Image Band
wirenet.org mobile image band

Wire Journal News

May 2022

6/2/2022 –

The 13th edition of Wire & Cable Guangzhou has been put on hold due to Covid-19 containment efforts continuing across various provinces in China.

A press release said that the fair, which had been scheduled to take place June 22-24, 2022, has been pushed back in support of the local government’s virus control measures. The new dates for the rescheduled fair will be announced at the earliest opportunity. 

“The decision to postpone the fair was not easy to make, but it is a necessary step given the evolving situation in China,” said Emeka Hu, general manager of Guangzhou Guangya Messe Frankfurt Co. Ltd. It organizes the event with China Southern Power Grid Media Co. Ltd. and Guangzhou Boyou Exhibition Service Co. Ltd. The ongoing situation led to planning uncertainty for participants, many of whom travel from different provinces. “It is therefore in the best interest of all parties to reschedule the fair to a time when the circumstances are more stable.”

In 2021, the fair brought together 220 exhibitors and 11,824 trade visitors. For more information on Wire & Cable Guangzhou, go to www.wire-cable-china.com.

Published in Press Releases

6/2/2022 - Stories about installed or stored copper being stolen for its raw material value are so common that WJI seldom prints them, but thieves in South Africa platinum mines have stood out, and not in a fun or quirky way. This story is just tragic. Below are edited excerpts from multiple media reports about a story where everyone loses.

Copper cables thieves in South Africa have found a deep, dark place to swipe copper cable: South African platinum mines. A stream of media reports has outlined how gangs have sneaked in deep underground, and set up camp in the vast network of tunnels from which they strip metal from power cables. It is a remarkably deadly pursuit.

The gangs are syndicates of thieves known as “zama zamas,” a Zulu name that means “take a chance.” Illegal mining has long been a problem in South Africa, but the focus now is on stealing copper. When copper was stripped at Sibanye’s Thembelani shaft in March, it led to a fire that forced 140 workers to evacuate. The company had 120 theft incidents last year and recovered about 5.1 tons of stolen copper. Year to date, there have been 45 incidents/3.2 tons recovered.

The thefts are difficult to stop because of the vast warren of tunnels. Over time, the thefts became far more complex, with gangs setting up their own supply chains. Descent is often made via ropes or handmade ladders. The copper is stripped and hidden away in unused tunnels before being taken away at night using pre-arranged transport.

As many as 500 thieves may be in a given mine at any time. They can spend days underground, and some of the illegal miners have been known to set booby traps or ambushes for mining staff or even rival gangs. It can take a full week to replace some of the key copper cables, so the loss is not just in the cable but in mining of platinum, a key element for making catalytic converters.

Just as there is no lack of thieves, there is no lack of potential bad endings. Last October, owners of one mine sealed off a ventilation shaft that illegal miners had been using to come and go. Per reports, a trickle of trapped gang members tried to escape, helped by fellow members above ground. At one point the zama zamas clashed with police in a shootout that saw eight of the thieves die. Several months earlier, the decomposed bodies of some 20 gang members were found. They were believed to have been killed in a gas explosion underground.

Per reports, the gangs have not been deterred. What remains is a sad statement that transcends wire.

Published in The Basics

5/4/2022 -

Annual Meeting in Dallas to offer a return to sorely missed live gathering

On-line meetings were certainly better than no event, but it is safe say that the WAI welcomes the return to a live format for the annual meeting on Wednesday, June 8, which will honor the winners of three awards as well as present a timely keynote presentation.

The meeting element itself is brief as it is procedural, but the breakfast session will see the presentations of the Mordica Memorial Award to Anand Bhagwat, manager, quality and technology at Minova USA; the Donnellan Memorial Award to Richard Wagner, the senior vice president and COO of Insteel Industries; and the President’s Award to Joe Downes, a long-time Leggett & Platt executive who retired as senior v.p. in 2015.

The gathering will also include comments from Keynote speaker Ty Garrison, senior vice president of operations, Commercial Metals Co., whose theme feels very appropriate: “Leadership in a Volatile World.” He will discuss how the last few years have strained businesses across the globe as Covid forced companies to deal with events like virtual work, burn out, unprecedented supply chain disruptions and volatile markets. Such challenges test the leadership at every level of an organization, and are essential to master for companies to thrive.

The annual meeting will, as ever, serve as a good place for WAI members to gather.

Published in WAI News

5/4/2022 -

The industry focus now is rightfully on Wire Expo 2022, to be held June 7-8 in Dallas, but a week after the first day there is an important meeting that is essential to Interwire 2023.

The WAI will hold the points meeting for Interwire on Wednesday, June 15, at its headquarters in Madison, Connecticut. The process determines how booths are assigned based on the WAI’s established priority point program. The Points Meeting for Interwire 2021, held March 12, 2020, saw a total of 63,650 sq ft of floor space taken by 140 exhibitors. That represented 59% of the floor space. Those results topped the same result for the 2019 Points Meeting. 

Exhibitor representatives get to pick first in order of their  accumulated points from past participation. The booths will be assigned by WAI staff. After that date, other companies wanting to exhibit can seek a booth by either going to the event website, interwire23.com, or contacting WAI Sales Director Shannon Timme.

“Interwire 2023 is obviously a ways off, but just to see us nearing one of the key organizing steps makes it feel like a step back to normalcy,” Timme said. The industry has had a lot of experience with remote contact, and while  that had to be done to continue business, it also re-affirmed the value of face-to-face discussions. It may be a ways off still, but it is good to once again see Interwire back on the calendar.”

Of note, WAI had planned to have an Industry 4.0 focus at Interwire 2021. That theme was carried over to the Virtual Conference that was later held, but the goal is to make the full in-person presentation on the show floor at Atlanta in 2023.

Published in WAI News

5/4/2022 -

 Prysmian Group wins contract for Alaskan submarine fiber optic cable link project

The Prysmian Group reports that it has been awarded a contract from Alaska Power & Telephone Company (AP&T) to supply, install and test two submarine fiber optic cable links in southeast Alaska.

A press release said that the SEALink project, valued at nearly $20 million, is directed by AP&T’s subsidiary, AP&T Wireless (APTW). The goal is to improve

communications in southeast Alaska, bringing broadband to rural areas that are currently unserved. The SEALink project calls for a 214-mile submarine fiber optic cable from Alaska’s capital in Juneau to the Prince of Wales Island.

Under the terms of the turnkey contract, Prysmian will provide a 323-km MINISUB brand cable with 36 G.652.D FO. The cable will be produced at Prysmian’s Nordenham, Germany plant, one of the group’s three centers of excellence for submarine cable production. Delivery is scheduled for the third quarter of 2022, with provisional acceptance by end of 2022.The project is being managed by Projects BU.

“This is the second project with AP&T after the successful installation of the Lynn Channel Project in 2016,” said Hakan Ozmen, EVP Projects BU, Prysmian Group. “We are excited to be helping AP&T support the digital transition in these remote areas of Alaska.”

The project will bring high-speed broadband to the residents of Kasaan and Coffman Cove on Prince of Wales Island for the first time. It was made possible by a grant from the U.S. government’s Rural Utility Services. “We are honored to be entrusted with this prestigious contract by AP&T which underscores the trust and credibility our customers have for our products and capabilities on a worldwide basis,” said Ashutosh Bhargava, Global Business director Subsea Telecom of the Prysmian Group.

Published in Industry News

5/4/2022 -

Rise Light & Power (Rise) and Delaware River Partners LLC (DRP) announced that they plan to work together to develop a submarine cable manufacturing facility in New Jersey “to attract an offshore cable manufacturer that would ultimately construct and operate the facility.”

A press release said that as part of its Outerbridge Renewable Connector project, “Rise is preparing to invest millions to develop a shovel-ready site for a submarine cable manufacturing facility at DRP-owned Repauno Port & Rail Terminal in Greenwich Township.” The proposed submarine cable manufacturing facility will have a footprint of approximately 30 acres, along with dock access. Upon approval of the Outerbridge Renewable Connector project, pending BPU, Rise and DRP will commence development and permitting work to make the site shovel-ready. The two companies will develop the site to be shovel-ready and collaborate to attract manufacturers for two types of subsea cables required for offshore wind farms. First are inter-array cables that connect turbines within the offshore wind farm to an offshore substation, and the second are export cables that connect the offshore substation to the onshore grid.

“This opportunity will bolster New Jersey’s leadership in offshore wind with a major investment to create good-paying jobs and become a national supply chain leader,” says Clint Plummer, CEO of Rise Light & Power. “The Outerbridge Renewable Connector will revitalize and repurpose infrastructure to meet New Jersey’s bold clean energy goals. We are excited about this partnership with Delaware River Partners.”

“We are proud to enter into a partnership with Rise Light & Power to develop New Jersey’s first submarine cable manufacturing facility,” commented Hank Alexander, DRP’s CEO. “The Repauno Port & Rail Terminal is an ideal location for this project. Conveniently situated along the Delaware River, we are accessible and fully capable of meeting the offshore wind industry’s needs.”

Of note, the Prysmian Group recently announced that it has signed a contract with the Commercial Development Company (CDC) to purchase a site in Brayton Point in Somerset, Massachusetts, which pending final approvals will be the site of a new plant to manufacture submarine power cable, an initiative that will cost an estimated $200 million. A press release said that the deal is subject to securing state construction permits as well as confirmation of the official awarding of cable contracts for the Commonwealth Wind and Park Wind City offshore wind projects.

 

Published in Industry News

5/4/2022 -

Orient Cable has been awarded the Hollandse Kust West Beta export cable contract by TenneT, in consortium with Boskalis.

A press release said that the contract calls for the supply and installation of two 65-km-long export cables that will connect the planned Hollandse Kust West Beta 700 MW offshore wind farm to TenneT’s onshore grid in the Netherlands. The company will also supply a nine-km 66kV interconnector cable between the Hollandse Kust West Alpha and Hollandse Kust West Beta offshore substations.

Orient Cable is working with partner Boskalis, which will install the high-voltage cable system. The two 220kV AC cable circuits will come ashore near the existing onshore high-voltage substation at Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands. The value of this contract was described as “sizable.”

Orient Cable will design, engineer, manufacture, test and transport the 220 kV XLPE-insulated export cables and associated accessories termination works. The subsea cables will be manufactured at Orient Cable’s plant in Ningbo, China, which it notes is the world’s largest cable manufacturing facility for the high and extra-high voltage subsea cables.

The Hollandse Kust West Beta offshore windfarm is expected to enter service in 2025. The project is a part of the Dutch national roadmap to achieve a 49% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.With this project and through its client TenneT, Orient Cable is supporting the decarbonizing by making renewable energy available in the Netherlands.

Published in Industry News

5/4/2022 -

NKT has finalized the repair of the 285 kV HVDC power cable system Kontiskan 2 that connects the power grids of Sweden and Denmark.

A press release said that NKT was awarded the repair contract after the Kontiskan 2 interconnector—operated by Svenska Kraftnät and Energinet—suffered a fault due to external impact at the end of January 2022. Roughly eight weeks after the fault occurred, the 285 kV mass impregnated (MI) HVDC power cable system was back in full operation. The actual repair operation took only 12 days. 

NKT performed the initial fault finding from shore identifying that the damage was located offshore. The damaged cable section was located 33 km from the converter station in Billdal, Sweden, after further pinpointing with a third-party vessel. NKT completed the repair operation within only 12 days after the mobilization of a third-party repair vessel. Following the operation, NKT buried the power cable at safe water depth to mitigate the risk of external impact.

 The Kontiskan 2 was energized shortly after the repair bringing the power cable connection back in full operation. The interconnector was installed in 1988 as an addition to the Kontiskan 1 from 1969 to support the exchange of energy between the Nordic countries by connecting the national power grids in Denmark and Sweden.

“Once again, we demonstrated that we are among the fastest companies in the market when it comes to offshore repairs,” the release said.

Published in Industry News

5/4/2022 -

U.K. metals tycoon Sanjeev Gupta has secured $125 million in new financing for Liberty Steel, a manufacturer of steel wire rod in the U.S.

In an article in The Wall Street Journal, Liberty Steel USA reported that it has been given funding from Eclipse Business Capital, a U.S. lender. It replaces an existing loan with Wells Fargo. The deal provides financial relief to a part of Gupta’s global empire amid a wider restructuring following the collapse of specialty lender Greensill Capital. Terms of the loan were not released, but the article described Eclipse as a Chicago-based lender to midsize companies.

Gupta owns Liberty Steel USA through his GFG Alliance group of companies, which have more than 200 manufacturing assets in 12 countries. In the U.S., Liberty Steel manufactures wire rod and has operations in states including Illinois and South Carolina. Those include the Georgetown mill that Liberty purchased in a shuttered state from ArcelorMittal in December 2017, and reopened seven months later.

The prospects of GFG’s steel operations have been at risk for months following the unraveling last year of specialty finance firm Greensill Capital. Greensill and GFG were closely intertwined, with Greensill supplying the Gupta family’s steel, aluminum and energy businesses with their main source of funding.

Published in Industry News

5/4/2022 -

Wind, a Dutch subsea cable specialist, has signed a long-term cooperation agreement with Waterson Terminals to establish a new cable storage yard in Rhode Island.

A press release said that the cable storage yard, to be located at ProvPort in Providence, is expected to be fully operational by the beginning of the third quarter of this year. It added that there was also the possibility of expanding capacity into other facilities of Waterson Terminals as the business grows and more space is required. The Providence yard will provide all cable and accessories storage and handling, while the project management will be carried out from Wind’s headquarters in Alkmaar in the Netherlands.

“Waterson Terminal Services is thrilled to partner with Wind as we work to provide a high level of port logistics and stevedoring service to the US offshore wind supply chain,” said Waterson Terminal Services general manager Chris Waterson.

Wind’s clients include Prysmian, which chose it for the transport, handling and temporary storage of a ±150 km array cable for the Hollandse Kust Zuid Offshore Wind Farm.

Published in Industry News
Page 1 of 2

Gallery

Contact us

The Wire Association Int.

71 Bradley Road, Suite 9

Madison, CT 06443-2662

P: (203) 453-2777