VVocus was named a partner of choice for Google to deliver a new submarine cable system—the South Pacific Connect—connecting Australia to the United States via the South Pacific.

A press release said that the planned system would connect Australia to the United States via the South Pacific, uplifting the reliability and resilience of digital infrastructure for both Australia and the region. The subsea cable ring will connect three diverse Australian landings to Fiji and French Polynesia, both of which will then connect directly onto the U.S. via diverse paths. It also includes pre-installed branching units across the system to enable other Pacific nations to connect in future.

The new cables between Australia and the U.S. will be named Honomoana and Tabua. Honomoana will connect the U.S. and Australia to French Polynesia while Tabua will connect the U.S. and Australia to Fiji. French Polynesia and Fiji will also be directly connected with an interlink cable to establish a network loop.

The supplier of the cable for the project was not named, but Alcatel Submarine Networks has supplied past Vocus projects that include the 4,600-km Australia Singapore Cable (ASC) from Perth to Singapore, and the 4,700-km Coral Sea Cable System (CS2) for the Australian Government, connecting Sydney to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Danieli Automation will provide hardware and software for an upgrade plant to CMC Poland’s rolling mill in Zawiercie, Poland.

A press release said that the revamp will optimize rolling performance and increase plant uptime. New, low-voltage inverter drives for the mill’s roughing and intermediate sections will be installed to improve operation and plant maintainability. Special attention will be paid to the reheating furnace heating-up billets produced by the local meltshop to accurate rolling temperatures. There, hardware and software for Level 1 automation system will be upgraded. A new process control system for automatic set up of the heating curves of the furnace also will be supplied. The upgrade will be completed by the end of this year.

The mill produces 500,000 metric tons per year of bars and wire rod for construction, agricultural, energy, machinery and consumer goods applications. Some of the products it manufactures include wire rod, ribbed and plain wire in coils and welded mesh for concrete reinforcement.

CMC Poland is part of U.S.-based Commercial Metals Company, which has multiple locations in America, Europe and Asia, including a U.S. plant that makes wire rod in Jacksonville, Florida.

A European Commission (EC) proposal to impose further import bans in Europe on a range of Russian products—from diamonds to aluminum wire—has received a mixed welcome as there are some that agree with the concept but not how it would be carried out. That includes an official from one of Ukraine’s leading cable manufacturers.

“I do support the ban on all wire rod from Russia, and I do support other international restrictions and sanctions over Russian trade, but the problem is that the sanctions have lots of holes,” said Oleg Procopovich, deputy CEO of Odeskabel PJSC. The company, which is based in Odessa, Ukraine, manufactures telecom cables, exporting about a third of its production to Europe.

Procopovich told WJI that before the war started, his company used a lot of aluminum made by a Russian company, Rusal, which is one of the world’s largest aluminum producers. That ended almost immediately after the invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. The problem with the proposed sanctions is the “gray market,” because the channels for international trade for Russia or Iran remain open, he said. “It is not only the phenomena of unfair businesses, in our world of global trade, it is the policy of certain countries that have chosen to benefit from the war through such trading. So, shadow companies supply copper and aluminum that come from diluted origins, squeezing honest manufacturers. Unless that changes, the proposed ban will not have the desired impact for Russia.”

That same sentiment was seen in the essence of a press release from European Aluminum, a Belgium-based association that represents the entire European aluminum value chain. It said that it welcomed the EC’s proposed 12th package of sanctions against Russia, which includes a ban on the importation of certain aluminum products that include wire, tubes and pipes, as well as aluminum foil. It said that future sanctions must be accompanied “by strong anti-circumvention measures to ensure an effective mechanism to prevent the circumvention of sanctions through imports of (semi-) final aluminum products from third countries.”

The association also targeted the effect of the proposed ban list, which it notes only covers 12% of EU imports of aluminum products from Russia. “These sanctions are a small first step, but we strongly encourage the European Union to accelerate its efforts and broaden their scope to cover all major product categories, including ingots, slabs, and billets, which constitute over 85% of the EU’s imports from Russia,” notes Paul Voss, Director General of European Aluminum. “The European aluminum industry has already started phasing out Russian aluminum and is willing to accelerate the process. It is a matter of principle and strategic foresight—it’s simply the right thing to do in the current circumstances.”

A press release said that the agreement covers the supply of 66 kV inter-array wires and will apply to all bottom-fixed European wind farms developed by Vattenfall in the coming years.
The first project it will apply to will be for the German Nordlicht cluster. The contract is initially signed for a three-year period and can be extended by five more.
Vattenfall is a Swedish multinational power company owned by the Swedish state, that also generates power in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Netherlands and U.K. Vattenfall places a high value on sustainability measures.

Catrin Jung, head of offshore wind at Vattenfall, said that working with committed suppliers matters. “We are pleased that in TFK we have found a partner that provides innovative technology while committing to the reliability and sustainability of the offshore electricity network.”

TFK Group Chief Executive Alexander van der Lof said that he was pleased to extend the relationship. “After a successful cooperation with Vattenfall in the Hollandse Kust Zuid 1 and 2 projects, we (look forward to) working together in the coming projects. TFK has invested significantly in electrification with expansions in capacity for state-of-the-art offshore wind sub-sea cable solutions.” 

TFK supplied 150 km of 66 kV inter array cables for the above cited projects, which are located in the North Sea, approximately 22 km from the Dutch coast, between The Hague and Zandvoort.

In related news, Vattenfall reported on Nov. 10 that the first power from its offshore wind farm, Vesterhav Syd, was supplied to the Danish power grid. It was a culmination of almost seven years’ work on the wind farm, when the blades of the first wind turbine were turned up against the wind and started generating fossil-free electricity.

“It’s a huge relief being able to finally supply power from Vesterhav Syd.,” said Mathilde Damsgaard, Vattenfall’s project director for the Vesterhav Syd and Nord Offshore Wind Farms. “We feel a tremendous sense of pride.”

The cable for the project came from Hellenic Cables, which provided approximately 70 km of 66 kV cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulated inter-array cables and associated accessories.

Citing the challenge in getting the cable it needs for an ambitious project—the Australia-Asia Power Link (AAPowerLink)—the developer, Australia’s SunCable, announced plans to build its own manufacturing plant to supply cable for the solar farm, likely in Tasmania.

Per multiple news reports, SunCable has been in the news due to a split between billionaires Mike Cannon-Brookes and Andrew Forrest, both principals of what was called “the world’s most ambitious solar energy generation project.” The two differed over direction, and once the leadership dust settled, SunCable was bought out by a consortium led by Grok Ventures, which is owned by Cannon-Brookes. Now, the focus once again is on the AA PowerLink project that would generate solar from Australia’s Northern Territory to deliver to Darwin, and then on to Singapore.

Per press releases at the SunCable website, the project will require a lot of cable as the proposed 20 GW solar farm will need an 800-km overhead transmission line to Darwin and a 4,300 km HV cable link to Singapore and converter sites. However, all advanced HVDC subsea cable facilities are now located in the Northern Hemisphere, and to place and receive an order could take five to eight years.
SunCable wants to have its own HV cable manufacturing plant, located in Tasmania. “The Tasmania option, on paper, offers the ability to produce cables in six years’ time.” Construction of the plant would be 2025, “with the first cable produced in 2029,” with the AAPowerLink project an anchor customer.

Of note, SunCable is not entering the wire and cable industry on its own. It reported that it “is in discussions with global cable manufacturers to jointly develop, construct and operate an advanced high voltage (HV) cable manufacturing facility.” The potential site, at Bell Bay, was chosen due to its size and proximity to one of the country’s few natural deep-water ports, rail infrastructure and renewable energy infrastructure. A plant there “will help solve global supply constraints of HVDC subsea cable.”

Hellenic Cables has signed a contract with Seaway7 for the East Anglia THREE offshore wind farm which is being developed by ScottishPower Renewables (SPR).

A press release said that Hellenic Cables will be responsible for the engineering, manufacturing, testing and supply of some 275 km of 66 kV three-core inter array submarine cables and the supply of the associated accessories. Production will get underway in 2024. Once operational in 2026, it will be the second-largest offshore wind farm in the world. The cables will be manufactured at the company’s plant in Corinth, Greece.

“We are excited to have been awarded the cable supply contract ... and support the expansion of renewable energy in the UK,” said Hellenic Cables GM Konstantinos Savvakis. “We are proud to be part of this important project.”

The wind farm is located approximately 69 km NE off the Suffolk coast. Its 95 14.7MW turbines will have a combined capacity of 1,400 MW, generating enough green electricity to power the equivalent of more than 1.3 million homes.

Earlier this year, SPR awarded a contract for the high-voltage DC (HVDC) export power cable system for the East Anglia THREE offshore windfarm to NKT. The turnkey contract, with a contract value in excess of €250 million in market prices, comprises the design, manufacturing and installation of the complete 320 kV HVDC export power cable system.

SPR reports that East Anglia THREE will follow the same cable corridor as its flagship offshore windfarm – East Anglia ONE, which means that there is no need to create new cable trenches. “At ScottishPower, we’re committed to generating more homegrown green electricity in the U.K. for the U.K., and East Anglia THREE will be a huge part of that,” said Ross Ovens, managing director for the East Anglia Hub offshore windfarms.

Hellenic Cables has three cable production plants in Thiva and Corinth (Greece) and Bucharest (Romania) and two auxiliary production plants in Oinofyta (Greece) and Blagoevgrad (Bulgaria). The Corinth production unit was described as one of the largest and most advanced submarine cable plant in the world.

Bridon-Bekaert Ropes Group (BBRG) and ABB have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement to jointly explore service capabilities for mine hoist systems located in ABB customer sites worldwide.

A press release said that there are more than 600 active production and service mine hoists within ABB’s global installed base and now there is an opportunity with BBRG to serve these customers together. The services will include innovative approaches towards safety, availability, productivity, risk reduction and sustainability. Combining the best-in-class practices for preventative maintenance will be further enhanced by the integration of inspections, audits, and spare parts inventory optimization, for the complete hoisting system. The focus will be on Australia, Europe, China and North America.

BBRG’s VisionTek condition monitoring solution for ropes and ABB’s digital solution suite for mine hoist monitoring and optimization, ABB Ability™ Smart Hoisting, will be combined under the predictive maintenance category, bringing technologies to provide asset health and condition/performance monitoring platforms and services to mine hoist operations.

Wardwell Braiding Company announced that it has acquired Cobra Braiding Machinery (Cobra) and the assets of the U.K. business.

A press release said that Cobra, established in the U.K. in 1981, is a fourth-generation family-run company that has a strong reputation as a manufacturer of wire harness and cable harness braiding machinery. It manufactures and supplies braiding machines and equipment for a wide range of wiring harness markets that include heavy vehicles, agricultural equipment, construction and mining equipment, military and defense vehicles, marine engines and aerospace. Nearly all its braiding machines are exported overseas to countries including the USA, Mexico, Europe, China, Japan and Australia.

“Wardwell and Cobra have been friendly competitors for many years on the global market in wire and cable harnessing,” said Wardwell Vice President John Tomaz. “When this opportunity for acquisition arose, we knew it was a great fit for our company and our customers. I have the highest respect for the Cobra line of braiders and especially the company’s managing director, Neil Hyde.”

Hyde, who will remain active in the company as general manager for a period of time, saw much value in the deal. “Teaming up with Wardwell gives us the confidence that our customers will continue to receive the performance and support they are accustomed to getting from Cobra,” he said.

Wardwell is a member of Germany’s Wilms Group, which includes major equipment manufacturers around the world such as SKET, Henrich and Spirka-Schnellflechter. This global network of suppliers to the industry has improved each member’s market position. The Wardwell braiding machine offerings will now include the Cobra line, including its industry-recognized Cobra 450.

“We see the Cobra line, when joined with ours, creating a positive synergy in sales and marketing for us on a global scale,” Tomaz said.

Telxius, a subsidiary of Telefónica, a Spanish telecom company, announced that it is extending the capacity of the Tikal subsea cable so that it can connect to Mexico.

A press release said that Telxius will be extending its ultrahigh capacity subsea cable Tikal to land in Cancun, Mexico. Tikal was announced jointly with America Movil in January 2023 to connect Puerto Barrios in Guatemala to Boca Raton in the U.S. “Telxius will now lead independently, on its own, the extension project to Cancun and the related supply contract is already in force with ASN.”

Tikal’s main trunk will launch with an initial estimated capacity of 380 Tbps and will serve a key route in the Caribbean with the highest levels of service, reliability and security. The estimated Ready For Service (RFS) date is mid-2026. This next-generation cable will now land in Mexico through the extension to Cancun. There is an option to extend it further to Barranquilla in Colombia.

The Telxius network spans over 100,000 km of terrestrial and subsea fiber including seven next-generation systems: Marea, Brusa, Dunant, Tannat, Junior, Mistral and soon Tikal. Five of these land in Latin America and the other two extend the network across the Atlantic. The Telxius network has been designed to connect the main digital data hubs on both sides of the Atlantic with a multi-Terabit set of new next-generation subsea cables.

The Prysmian Group has signed an agreement worth approximately $952.8 million with Clean Path New York to provide submarine and land power cable systems for one of the largest transmission infrastructure projects in the United States.

A press release said that Clean Path New York is an $11 billion renewable energy project comprising 3,800 MW of wind and solar power from more than 20 new wind and solar generation resources and a new 175-mile, underground and submarine transmission link. These assets will be able to deliver more than 7.5 million megawatt-hours of emissions-free energy every year—enough to power more than 1.5 million New York households.

Clean Path New York is a public-private collaboration between Invenergy, energyRe, and the New York Power Authority. The Prysmian Group will be responsible for the design, manufacture, construction, installation, and commissioning of Clean Path New York’s high-voltage DC current) 400 KV single core cable system with XLPE insulation, conditional upon Clean Path New York issuing its notice to proceed in Spring 2024.

“We are proud to support Clean Path New York in meeting New York State’s ambitious climate goals to be 70% carbon-free by 2030,” said Hakan Ozmen, EVP Projects BU, Prysmian Group. “Clean Path New York is one of the largest transmission infrastructure projects to be executed in New York State and is one the first 400 kV HVDC interconnectors to be built by Prysmian around the world. This agreement reinforces Prysmian Group’s leading position in the submarine and land cable market and underlines both our continued role in and our commitment to the North American energy transition.”