NKT has completed an upgrade to a high-voltage power link that saw the replacement of four existing power cables that were installed in 1973 with the company’s 400 kV XLPE HVAC power cables.

A press release said that NKT completed the upgrade of the high-voltage power link connecting Denmark and Sweden. The original power cables were the world’s first low-pressure, oil-filled power cables installed offshore at this voltage level.
Since 1915 the power grids of Sweden and Denmark have been connected by a power cable providing exchange of energy between the neighboring countries. For NKT, the project was executed to a tight time schedule, and the new power cables for the historical power link are now in full operation.

Interconnectors are essential to the power cable infrastructure needed to ensure an efficient integration of the increasing amount of renewable energy produced in Europe. We are happy to upgrade the cables across Öresund playing a key part in maintaining the high transmission security of both countries and to strengthen the interconnection of the European power grids, says Executive Vice President Claes Westerlind, head of the Swedish high-voltage NKT factory in Karlskrona.

The power link across Öresund is owned by the Swedish national grid operator Svenska Kraftnät that awarded NKT the project in a consortium with Boskalis. In a joint effort, the two companies successfully replaced the original oil-filled cables with four new 400 kV XLPE HVAC power cables in close collaboration with Svenska Kraftnät and Energinet in Denmark. The new cables were made at the company’s high-voltage power cable factory in Karlskrona, which is running on 100% green electricity.

Of note, the original power cables were produced by the cable division within ASEA, a unit now part of NKT. In collaboration with Boskalis, NKT removed the old power cables which were sent for recycling before the new power cables were installed at the same location and connected to substations at the shores on both sides.

Global Optical Communication Uzbekistan (GOC-UZ) has started construction of a fiber-optic cable production plant in the free economic area in the city of Jizzax in Uzbekistan.

Per a report in TELCOMPER, GOC-UZ already produces cable in an existing building in Jizzax, with 58 employees working at the joint venture. One hundred new jobs will be created in 2021, and the plan is to later expand this to 300 people. The goal is to manufacture 50,000 km of cable in 2021, up from 10,000 km this year.

Construction is due for completion in the first quarter of 2021. This year in Uzbekistan, 26,500 km of fiber-optic lines have been deployed.

GOC-UZ is a joint venture by two Korean companies—Global Optical Communication Co. Ltd. and Uni Asset Global Co. Ltd.—and Uztelecom, Uzbekistan’s national operator. The two South Korean companies hold a 55% stake in the joint venture, with the remainder owned by Uztelecom.

Organizers of Wire & Cable Guangzhou, which originally had been scheduled to be held in June and was rescheduled to November, report that the event will now be held in 2021.

A press release said that the move was made “due to the impact of Covid-19 on global industrial activity, and the corresponding impact on the wire and cable industry in Southern China.” After extensive consultations with the fair’s stakeholder groups, the event organizing committee of Wire and Cable Guangzhou decided that deferring the fair to 2021 was the best course of action for the industry. The new dates for the event, to be held at the China Import and Export Fair Complex, will be announced at a later time.

“With a strong recovery expected in 2021, we believe it is in the best interest of our exhibitors to reserve their marketing efforts for a more vibrant fair next year,” said Emeka Hu, general manager of Guangzhou Guangya Messe Frankfurt Co. Ltd. At that point, she said, “participants will be able to take advantage of a more prosperous business environment, and the fair can continue its growth trend.”

The release said that Wire and Cable Guangzhou has experienced consistent year-on-year growth since 2009, including a 14% rise in visitor numbers at its 2019 edition. Established in 2009, Wire & Cable Guangzhou provides a showcase for exhibitors that included manufacturers and solution providers for cable and wire, testing instruments and smart grids. The 2019 exhibition had 220 exhibitors and 26,410 attendees from 41 countries and regions. For more details, go to www.wire-cable-china.com or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Spain’s Delta Tecnic has opened a new plant in Querétaro, Mexico, becoming the first manufacturer in the country to specialize in color concentrates for automotive wire and cable as well as other products.

A press release said that the factory in Mexico will produce masterbatch for distribution throughout the Americas. Delta Tecnic has two production plants in Sant Celoni (Barcelona), with a total surface area of 15,000 sq ft and a multidisciplinary staff of 160 people. The Mexico plant has a surface area of 3,000 sq m, expandable to 5,000 sq m, and currently has 10 employees, and is forecast to have between 20 to 40 workers within a year. The company, which formed its Deltacolor Masterbatch division in 1989, now exports to more than 50 countries.

“Delta Tecnic is proud to have a resilient model based on innovation that allows us to grow in strategic industries,” said company CEO Eric Xirinachs. He noted that the micromasterbatch has a smaller pellet size that improves dilution when extruding cables. They are applied to both PVC and polyolefins, and provide better control and optimal color homogeneity, improved product quality, increased cable production speed and lowers costs.

Besides auto, the company is pursuing growth for products related to environmental awareness, such as renewable energies and, consequently, to cabling for wind and photovoltaic energy, and more. Of particular importance in the plastics market is thermal insulation, with new designs for more complex profiles that result in lower energy consumption in public and private building as well as an increase in the market for telecom cables and wiring applications for large, domestic appliances, where the greater complexity in energy saving programs is creating an increased demand in the needs for electrical wiring.

Xirinachs said that he is confident the new factory will allow Delta Tecnic “to consolidate its position as a technological leader, as well as to supply products to companies in various sectors anywhere in the world.”

The Prysmian Group announced that it is working with Dutch operator KPN in a pilot project involving a fiber optic network that will use 90% recycled plastic.

A press release said that KPN will be the first telecommunications firm in Europe to use the new Prysmian cable concept to install connections for its customers. The sustainable solution uses Prysmian’s Sirocco HD 96f cable, launched earlier this year, and thinner Easenet tubes. The 4.5-mm diameter cable in a 10-mm sleeve can replace the use of a conventional 6-mm cable in a 14-mm sleeve. That advance alone guarantees an approximately 50% reduction in the volume of plastic used. Also, the smaller diameters allow a greater length of cable to be supplied on a single reel, significantly reducing costs in terms of transport, storage and packaging.

The pilot projects will be developed in the Netherlands, in Buitenpost (Friesland) and Nijmegen. Further advantages are expected to emerge during the installation, such as less excavation works required at the network concentration points, leading to less soil to be removed and processed.
“This project is yet another demonstration of Prysmian’s commitment to developing innovative and sustainable quality broadband networks,” said Prysmian Group Vice President Toni Bosch. “With the world’s ever-increasing demand for information, this innovative solution enables the use of smaller trenches for new installations, resulting in lower installation costs and the use of less raw materials. This provides benefits in terms of both the total cost of network deployment and the environmental footprint.”

The new cables and tubes require about half the usual raw materials (plastic or PE) of conventional cabling. Beside these direct savings, the new concept offers an indirect environmental advantage since over 90% of the tubes are manufactured using high-quality recycled PE. This immediately translates into a reduction of the carbon emissions and ultimately of end-of-life waste. In addition, Prysmian expects to achieve a further reduction of carbon emissions through savings on logistics, storage, and packaging materials, which will be evaluated in a real-life test for KPN.