wiredInUSA March 2018

Ten-year network plan

Aim for sustainable copper market

Laurent Schmitt

In a joint paper, the European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSO-E) and Europacable have recognized the overall coherence between the demand for cables by 2030, as identified by the Ten- Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP), and the annual production capacity of cable manufacturers in Europe. They also commit to cooperate and exchange information tomitigate risks of delays to, and reflect possible changes in, the projects. For ENTSO-E’s secretary general, Laurent Schmitt: “Adapting the power system for the coming decades means augmenting and digitizing the network. Hardware is as important as software. Regarding hardware, cables account for over half of the infrastructure identified in the TYNDP.” The joint paper shows that to “go from promise to practice” on interconnecting Europe by 2030, 46,000km of land and submarine cables will be needed – 42,000km of HVDC and 4,000km of HVAC. Since the annual production of HVDC cables is confirmed at 6,500km for the next decade, this covers the needs of the TYNDP projects. In addition, sufficient HVAC cable production capacity is available to accommodate both the TYNDP and national project though the latter, being outside of the TYNDP, was not fully analyzed in the paper.

Image: www.nexans.com

Recognizing copper’s vital role in a sustainable future, Nexans is joining forces with Codelco, a major world producer of copper, to help create a more traceable and transparent copper market. A memorandum of understanding is intended to foster the existing commercial relationship between Nexans and Codelco. The main aim is to develop and implement environmental, community- friendlyandethical processes in thecopper industry, promoting sustainable practices. A key element is the joint commitment to environmental and social responsibility standards, along with the creation of mechanisms for reliable performance assessment. Key aims of the project include the evaluation of mechanisms to trace Codelco’s sustainable production to Nexans and to the market, then to develop the production of sustainable cables and cable systems at Nexans’ plants to achieve a fully traceable final product. A major milestone in 2018 will be the delivery of the first carbon neutral shipment of copper cathodes from Codelco to Nexans.

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wiredInUSA - March 2018