Nexans has been awarded the cable contract for PacWave South, the first U.S. grid-connected, wave energy test facility that is being jointly developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, the state of Oregon, and Oregon State University to further the research of innovative renewable technologies.

A press release said that the project is a significant step in the American sustainable energy transition and will further solidify Nexans’ position as a pure player in sustainable electrification. PacWave South consists of four berths that capture the energy generated from the movement of waves and each berth will produce up to 5MW of energy.

RT Casey LLC has selected Nexans for the design, engineering and manufacturing of the 36 kV submarine and terrestrial cables that will run across the ocean floor; Nexans will provide the four medium voltage AC (MVAC) cables that bring the energy from the berths to shore. The cable lengths total 80 km or roughly 20 km per cable. This project serves as a pilot to test an alternative form of energy generation that is renewable and minimally invasive to the environment.

“Signing the contract for PacWave South shows Nexans’ commitment to innovation and sustainable energy solutions,” said Ragnhild Katteland, executive vice president of Nexan’s Generation and Transmission Business Group. “The future of energy generation will contain a large variety of renewable sources and PacWave’s wave energy facility will give us the knowledge necessary to further develop this new and exciting form of power generation.”

The project, scheduled to be energized by 2024, was described as a significant step in the American sustainable energy transition and an important milestone in Nexans’ strategy of becoming an organization dedicated to innovation and sustainable electrification.