wiredinUSA August 2020

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Americaˊs online magazine for wire and cable

Issue No. 110 - August 2020

www.wiredInUSA.com

America’s online magazine for wire and cable

wiredIn USA

Fiber taking a power line route Page 9

Power plan gets go-ahead. Page 11

Power takeover. Page 25

EVs for grid stability. Page 31

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EDITOR

Robots designed by Facebook engineers are winding fiber optic cables around medium-voltage power lines, enabling expansion of high-speed Internet infrastructure. The robot holds specially designed cables that are thinner and lighter than traditional cables, allowing it to lay up to 1km of cable by wrapping it around existing lines. The social media giant believes the robot will allow fiber to be deployed within a few hundred meters of much of the world’s population. Full story on page 9. Ohio-based American Electric Power is proceeding with its planned 1,485MW North Central wind project, despite Texas regulators rejecting the $2 billion project. The project is being developed in north-central Oklahoma to provide electricity for Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas, with regulators from the three states and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission giving the project the green light, despite the Texan rejection. Turn to page 11 for the full story.

David Bell Editor

wiredInUSA - August 2020

August 2020 Issue No.110 CONTENTS

06 PAGE

Show Diary 2020

09 PAGE

Making the News Industry news from the USA

24 PAGE

Europe news The latest news from Europe

30 PAGE

Asia & Africa News The latest news from Asia & Africa

36 PAGE

Products, Machines & Technology The latest news from machine industries

wiredInUSA - August 2020

wiredIn USA

INTRAS OFFICES Europe: 46 Holly Walk, Leamington Spa Warwickshire CV32 4HY, UK

Tel: +44 1926 334137 Fax: +44 1926 314755

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USA: Danbury Corporate Center, 107 Mill Plain Road, Danbury, CT 06811, USA Tel: +1 203 794 0444 Email: doug@intras.co.uk

News Editor David Bell david@wiredinusa.com

Features Editor (USA and Europe) Gill Watson Publisher Caroline Sullens

Sales & Marketing (International) Sales Director Jason Smith jason@wiredinusa.com +44 1926 834 684 Accounts Manager Karen Low karen@intras.co.uk

wiredInUSA - August 2020

Diary Shows & Events 2020/21

September 22-24 September 2020

September 23-26 September 2020 wire China Shanghai, China www.wirechina.net

The 21 st China International Spring Industry Exhibition Guangzhou, China www.springexpo.com.cn

October 11-14 October 2020 IWCS 2020 Cable &

October 26-28 October 2020

CRU World Optical Fiber & Cable Conference 2020 Milan, Italy www.worldopticalfiberconference.com

Connectivity Symposium A virtual symposium & exhibition www.iwcs.org

December 7-11 December 2020 wire Düsseldorf Düsseldorf, Germany www.wire.de

January 25-28 January 2021 MACH 2021 Birmingham, UK www.machexhibition.com

For more info visit: www.wiredinusa.com/showinfo.php

wiredInUSA - August 2020

07–11Dec 2020

SAVE THE NEW DATE

join the best: Düsseldorf Germany www.wire.de www.tube.de

It will be the big industry spectacle: The world’s leading trade fairs for the wire and cable, tube and tube processing industries are extending an invitation. Experience visionary machines, technologies and processes. At wire: For the first time, pioneers in the manufacture of end products – springs and fasteners - will be there. Thus, the complete value chain from raw materials to industry right up to high-end results is represented. At Tube: Trends in OCTG technologies, process solutions, from tube cutting to tube trading. And never before have both trade fairs been so green: The ecoMetals Trails will lead you to the pioneers of sustainability. The field of progress has been prepared - for you as a decision-maker of the future. The best thing to do would be to register today: wire.de/2130 and Tube.de/2130

International Wire and Cable Trade Fair Internationale Fachmesse Draht und Kabel

International Tube and Pipe Trade Fair Internationale Rohr-Fachmesse

For show information: Messe Düsseldorf North America Tel. (312)781-5180 _ info@mdna.com www.mdna.com For hotel and travel arrangements: TTI Travel, Inc. Tel. (866)674-3476 _ info@ttitravel.net

Fiber taking a power line route M A K I N G T H E NEWS

A team of Facebook engineers has developed a new robot to wind fiber optic cable around existing medium- voltage power lines, enabling a cost- effective expansion of high-speed Internet infrastructure. The robot holds specially designed cables that are thinner and lighter than traditional cables, allowing it to lay up to one kilometer of cable by wrapping it around existing lines. Thecablehasa“specially tailoredaramid configuration and a high strength, high temperature, track-resistant polymer jacket,” with an articulated design that allows it to move over insulators and other obstacles on the line.

As of 2019, over 70 percent of the world’s population was living over 10km from a fiber connection, resulting in lower Internet speeds and higher latency. Facebook believes the robot will allow fiber to be deployed “within a few hundred metres of much of the world’s population,” within a relatively short time frame and at low cost. The robot includes a vision system to identify obstacles and appropriately adjust its movements to clear them, while maintaining the clearances required to prevent an electrical hazard.

Facebook believes each robot will lay between 1.5kmand 2kmof fiber per day.

wiredInUSA - August 2020

Power plan gets go-ahead

2020 and 2021. AEP estimates customers will save $3 billion over the next 30 years on reduced electricity bills. The wind farms include a 999MW facility north of Weatherford; a 287MW facility being built southwest of Enid; and a 199MW facility being built south of Alva. Together the projects could provide over 5.7 TWh of wind power every year.

Ohio-based American Electric Power (AEP) is proceeding with its planned 1,485MW North Central wind project, despite Texas regulators rejecting the $2 billion project. The project is being developed in north-central Oklahoma to provideelectricity forOklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas: regulators from the three states gave their approval, as did the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. AEP companies will acquire three wind properties being developed by Invenergy in Oklahoma, when they are completed in

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Expansion plans

Accel International Holdings, of Meriden, Connecticut, has plans to develop a new manufacturing facility in Port St Lucie, Florida. The company is scheduled to break ground later this year on the selected ten-acre site. According to Anthony Oh, Accel’s president and CEO, an overall capital investment of $55 million includes acquiring a total of 40 acres to allow for further expansion in the future.

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Rod plant closure

plant in light of the dramatic downturn in business and economic uncertainty brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic,” Hodson wrote in the filing with the state. “We have taken a close look at our rod and refining operations to evaluate whether they are economically viable. After much careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close the Norwich plant.” Freeport will continue to operate two other rod mill operations in El Paso, Texas, and Miami, Arizona.

Freeport-McMoRan Copper Products, also known as Phelps Dodge, has decided to close its rod plant in Norwich, Connecticut, due to the downturn in business amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A notice, filed with the state Department of Labor by the plant’s manager, James Hodson, said that the plant expects to permanently lay off 117 employees, beginning in August. “Phelps-Dodge Industries Inc has carefully reviewed the operations at our Norwich

wiredInUSA - August 2020

Cable appointment

Lapp North America has announced Jay Lahman’s appointment as the organization’s new chief executive officer. Lahman will be responsible for the North America region and will report directly to Georg Stawowy, Lapp’s chairman of the board of directors, Lapp Holding, NA Inc. Lahman has 25 years of experience in the cable industry including electrical, industrial, utility, and data communication markets. Before joining Lapp he served as senior vice president of electrical raceway

sales at Atkore International and spent 14 years at General Cable US, including the role of vice president and general manager for General Cable in Barcelona, where he led a multinational team of 2,800 employees across seven sites. “The talented team at Lapp is devoted to helping our customers meet the challenges of increasingly automatedand networked manufacturing environments,” Lahman said. “I’m excited to be part of that team.”

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wiredInUSA - August 2020

Name change and new arrivals

PolyOne has completed its acquisition of the color masterbatch businesses of Clariant and the Clariant Chemicals India affiliate. PolyOne has also announced its name change to Avient. “We proudly welcome our newest associates and valued customers from Clariant Masterbatch. They are joining us on day one of this new era for our company, which, as of today, will be named Avient,” said Robert M Patterson,

chairman, president and chief executive officer, Avient.

The agreement to acquire the Clariant Masterbatch business was originally announced in December 2019. The business includes 46 manufacturing operations and technology centers in 29 countries and approximately 3,500 employees, who will join Avient’s color, additives and inks segment.

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wiredInUSA - August 2020

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New York state approval

New York’s siting board has agreed to the construction, by Avangrid Inc subsidiary Avangrid Renewables LLC, of a 101MW wind farm in New York state. The approval was issued by the New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment, granting approval for Atlantic Wind LLC to build and operate a wind farm in the state’s Lewis and Jefferson counties.

Named the Deer River proposal, the plan includes the installation of 25 turbines, at heights of 590 feet and 492 feet, on approximately 6,000 acres of private land. The siting board described the wind park as “a beneficial addition” to New York’s electric generating capacity, that will help improve the reliability of the state’s power grid.

wiredInUSA - August 2020

The marine survey is being undertaken by EGS

Channel crossing

Canadian company Crosslake Fibre has announced its plans to build a new subsea cable, CrossChannel Fibre. The 550km fiber optic system will be the first to be built across the English Channel in almost 20 years. The cable is designed to support the increase in bandwidth requirements from telecommunications and content providers, as well as financial, gaming and media companies requiring high capacity, low latency connectivity. “We are excited to launch this historic subsea project and deliver a new, much needed connection across the English Channel, connecting the critically important data hubs of Slough and Paris,” said Mike Cunningham, CEO for Crosslake Fibre. “This new fiber infrastructure has been optimized to create the shortest path between the two data hubs, providing

users with an enhanced technical solution and materially lowering operating costs,” he added. The non-repeatered system will feature 96 fiber pairs, each providing over 20Tbps of capacity throughput. Crosslake Fibre is working with EGS, a provider of marine surveys and services, to undertake the marine and burial surveys for the project. The marine survey contract is agreed and survey activities have begun. Deborah Jenkins, UK director for EGS, commented: “The marine survey is a critical aspect for any new cable system, and we will be conducting geophysical and geotechnical surveys that will enable an optimized route design.”

wiredInUSA - August 2020

Photo by Neal Kharawala on Unsplash

Resilient contract will use superconductor wire

AMSC has awarded a contract to Nexans toproduce a cable for Chicago’s Resilient Electric Grid (REG) project. The cable, together with a special jointing system, will be deployed in a Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) substation. The Resilient Electric Grid (REG) project plans for superconductor cables to interconnect assets in downtown Chicago to improve the resilience of the electrical grid against extreme weather and catastrophic events. AMSC and ComEd, one of the largest electric utilities in the US, entered into a commercial contract as part of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate’s initiative to secure the electric grid. The high current density of the REG cable is a key advantage for ComEd, as it enables a very compact installation footprint that

is suited to creating new power links in densely populated urban areas.

The REG system provides protection from the loss of critical substation facilities in urban areas by interconnecting and sharing excess capacity of nearby substations, while preventing high fault currents. The result is greater protection from cascading failures and widespread power outages on the power grid. The design selected for the REG project also has a low environmental impact, with near zero thermal and electromagnetic fields. Using AMSC’s Amperium superconductor wire, Nexans will manufacture the REG cable at its specialized superconductor facility in Hanover, Germany. The cable installation in Chicago is scheduled for the end of 2020.

wiredInUSA - August 2020

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108 RADO DRIVE NAUGATUCK, CT 06770 / +1 203-723-2590 / WWW.ELECTRICCABLECOMPOUNDS.COM

EUROPE NEWS

wiredInUSA - August 2020

Photo by Gonz DDL on Unsplash

Power takeover

Iberdrola has finalized its acquisition of the French renewable energy company Aalto Power. Founded in 2005 and based in Marseilles, Aalto Power has 118MW of onshore wind generation in France and a portfolio of onshore wind projects at various stages of development, totaling a further 636MW. The purchase of Aalto Power will not only provide Iberdrola with its first operational megawatts on French soil, but will also

boost its plans in the area of renewable generation.

In France, 16km off the coast of Brittany, Iberdrola is already progressing the 496MW Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm, which will begin construction in 2021 and come on stream in 2023. Over the previous six months Iberdrola has completed five corporate acquisition operations within the renewable sector in Australia, Sweden, France itself and the UK.

wiredInUSA - August 2020

Wind in Dutch waters

Wind project gets the fast track

Image courtesy of Van Oord

Marine contractor Van Oord has completed the installation of all 94 array cables for the 752MW Borssele I and II offshore wind farm project in Dutch waters. Installation work began, ahead of schedule, in February; Van Oord and project developer Ørsted A/S expect the cable burial program to be complete in August. The cables were manufactured by France’s Nexans SA, and installed with Van Oord’s cable-laying vessel Nexus . “We are now approaching the last phase of the installation of Borssele I and II. Even with our stringent COVID-19 measures, we are still well on track to complete the installation before the end of the year,” said Klaasjaap Buijs, Ørsted’s construction manager. The first turbine supplied electricity to the Dutch grid on 28 th April this year.

Photo by Nicholas Doherty on Unsplash

Wind developers Magnora ASA and Kustvind AB have decided to accelerate the development of the 500MW Sydkustens Vind offshore wind project in southern Sweden. The shallow water project has now entered its development phase, and physical studies of the seabed and the project area will commence. Compared to the original schedule, the project has been accelerated by ten months. “The decision follows several studies performed during the spring of 2020 which have provided the answers we were looking for. We are now more certain that this is a good project commercially, and technically feasible,” said Haakon Alfstad, investment director at Magnora, and executive chairman of Kustvind AB. The Sydkustens Vind wind farm is located approximately 8km off the southern coast of Sweden. The project is expected to have a production capacity of 2TWh annually and could potentially serve 250,000 homes with electricity. Magnora signed a final shareholder agreement with Kustvind AB on 20 th March 2020. Magnora will gradually increase its ownership in the company up to 50 percent.

wiredInUSA - August 2020

Small signs of recovery, post-pandemic

Scottish wind farm contract

Photo by Ra Dragon on Unsplash

Image courtesy of Hellenic Cables

Analysts from ResearchAndMarkets.com have predicted that copper prices could stabilize in future quarters, despite a recent surge in value to pre-pandemic levels. Three-month copper futures on the London Metal Exchange had rebounded past the $6,000 threshold by the end of June. The article, “Recovery in the copper scrap market will lead to reduced demand for cathode post COVID-19”, explains that the recent recovery was influenced by various factors, including the pace of China’s economic recovery, rising demand for renewable energy and electric vehicles, and financial stimulus measures from global central banks such as the US Federal Reserve and the People’s Bank of China. Another factor influencing the quick recovery in prices is the disruption to copper scrap trading. Copper scrap trading was particularly affected by the COVID-19 crisis, leading to a shortage of scrap metal. China increased its imports of copper cathode to make up for the shortfall, but it is likely that recovery in the scrap market will lead to reduced demand for cathode and have a stabilizing effect on copper prices.

Hellenic Cables SA has a contract to supply 66kV inter-array cables and accessories for the 1,075MW Seagreen offshore wind farm project, 27km off the Scottish coast. The company will supply Seaway 7, the renewables unit of the engineering services provider Subsea 7 SA. Seaway 7 is responsible for the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of the foundations and inter-array cables. Hellenic Cables will design, manufacture, test and supply 320km of 66kV XLPE- insulated cables, produced at its submarine cables plant in Corinth, Greece. Delivery is planned for early 2022, and construction is scheduled to complete in 2022/23. UK utility SSE plc recently took the final investment decision for the Seagreen project, in which Total SA, the French oil and gas company, will acquire a 51percent interest. SSE will rename the Seagreen phases II and III to Berwick Bank and Marr Bank, respectively, to distinguish them from the more advanced Seagreen I.

wiredInUSA - August 2020

Cable start-up

Metallurgy business changes hands

Image courtesy of Emcab

A partnership between Emtelle and Incab has resulted in a new fiber cable manufacturer, Emcab, in Germany. The two firms specialize in the manufacture of ducted, buried and blown fiber cables, blown fiber microducts, and HDPE and PVC ducts. The new company will offer a wide cable range with fiber counts of up to 864, and covering a range of applications including direct burial. The range will be fully compatible with Emtelle FibreFlow duct and microduct solutions. Emcab’s cables are manufactured using Corning optical fiber and undergo regular tests at specially equipped test sites. The company’s blowing track is built to comply with the requirements of the IEC 60794-1- 21:2015 standard. Tony Rodgers, CEO of Emtelle, said: “Emcab joins Emtelle’s blown fiber and microduct manufacturing experience with the fiber optic cable capabilities of Incab ... . We have rigorously tested individual products to ensure that we can go to the market with fully optimized fiber and cable solutions with guaranteed compatibility. The additional fiber capacity this venture brings to Emtelle further enhances the fiber-in-tube capability and capacity, with guaranteed operability between fiber and duct.”

Image courtesy of Nexans

Nexans has signed agreement to sell Nexans Metallurgie Deutschland GmbH (NMD), a company that specializes in oxygen-free copper drawing, to Mutares SE & Co KGaA. Anoxygen-freecopper rodmill anddrawing manufacturer for diversified industries, with an annual capacity of 60,000 tons, Nexans NMD employs 250 workers and has two manufacturing sites located in Bramsche and Neunburg, Germany. It serves major first and second tier customers involved in automotive, white goods and general industrial applications. Mutares is a listed company on Frankfurt Stock Exchange that acquires and actively develops industrial medium-sized companies and the operations of large corporations. The transaction is expected to close during the third quarter of 2020.

wiredInUSA - August 2020

SeaMade cables in place

Local sourcing

Image courtesy of MHI Vestas Offshore Wind

Image courtesy of DEME

MHI Vestas Offshore Wind has reached agreements with Taiwan-based manufacturers to supply fasteners and cables for two CIP-developed wind projects, Changfang Phase 2 and Xidao. Boltun Corporation (Boltun) will supply fasteners and Walsin Lihwa Corporation will manufacturer the cables. The agreements with Boltun and Walsin Lihwa Corporation also cover the Zhong Neng project, where MHI Vestas has been named preferred turbine supplier. Changfang Phases 1 and 2, Xidao and Zhong Neng are the only four Taiwanese projects to have passed the government’s localization review for projects. “We continue to prioritize the sustainable development of Taiwan’s local suppliers,” said MHI Vestas APAC regional manager Masato Yamada. “As the only wind turbine manufacturer to be sourcing fasteners and cables from Taiwan, we are particularly pleased to be working alongside Boltun and Walsin Lihwa Corporation as they gain valuable experience and expertise in the offshore wind sector.”

Living Stone , DEME’s cable laying vessel, has completed cable burial activities at the SeaMade offshore wind farm site in the Belgian North Sea. The inter-array cable laying works began in April, with the first cables connected to an offshore substation at the end of the same month. The burial works of 64 inter-array cables with a total length of 71.2km started in early May. The 487MW SeaMade offshore wind farm consists of the 235MW Mermaid and the 252MW Seastar offshore wind projects, and two offshore substations. SeaMade is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2020.

wiredInUSA - August 2020

ASIA & AFRICA NEWS

wiredInUSA - August 2020

Nissan Leaf Electric Car

EVs for grid stability

A fleet of 51 electric vehicles will be connected to Australia’s biggest power grid to help protect it against blackouts and voltage fluctuations. This first trial of the technology will be carried out in Canberra, and will assess how effectively car batteries can stabilize an electricity network. The ACT government is providing most of the Nissan Leaf vehicles chosen for the test; the Nissans have two-way batteries, so can be charged from the grid but also provide power if needed. Widespread blackouts in South Australia in 2016, when a storm damaged aging electricity towers, led the state to build the world’s biggest battery to support the grid during crises, but power blackouts continue to be an issue for the country.

The ACT project’s research leader, Bjorn Sturmberg, said: “When electric cars are plugged in, they could be called on in a heartbeat to avoid a mass power outage. They’ll only have to do this a couple of dozen times a year, when there’s a storm or some other emergency in the grid [that] means the grid needs power really quickly.” In most cases, the plugged-in car would only be needed for up to 15 minutes at a time, draining the battery by no more than 5 percent. Dr Sturmberg added that car owners who offered their vehicles to help protect the grid could expect to earn about $1,000 a year by doing so.

wiredInUSA - August 2020

Rebar mill

Experience center opens

Image courtesy of Naveena Group

Polycab India Ltd has opened an Experience Center and branch office in Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala, India. Kunal Jaisinghani, head of agri products at Polycab India, inaugurated the center in the presence of senior management team members, business associates, and trade representatives. Polycab Experience Centers display the company’s entire range of products. In wires and cables, Polycab has a wide selection of power cables, control cables, instrumentation, building wires and industrial cables. The Experience Centers also showcase the company’s FMEG product portfolio consisting of fans, lighting, switches, switchgears, conduit pipes, pumps, geysers and solar. FMEG R&D activities will be focused on developing new products to capitalize on industry trends, including the move towards home automation and environmentally friendly products that consume less power. Polycab also intends to focus on street lighting with automated IoT-based smart systems and other specialized products such as domestic and agriculture pumps. The new showroom is located in the heart of Trivandrum. Customers will be given a walk-through experience at the store, and guidance will be given on the best practices for wiring and selection of electrical products. Kunal Jaisinghani lights a lamp during the inauguration of the Experience Center in Trivandrum

Naveena Group, a conglomerate dealing in textile exports, spinning, wind power and other business sectors, has announced the launch of Naveena Steel, its steel plant located at Port Qasim in Karachi. The group will be introducing Italian plant with Pakistan’s first induction heating system, using direct rolling technology to produce consistent standard steel rebar. In a statement, the company said: “Naveena Steel Mills (Private) Limited is being developed with a view that rapid urbanization and industrialization resulting from China-Pakistan economic corridor- related infrastructure projects will increase the demand for steel in the country. State- of-the-art metallurgical processes [will] enable NSMPL to produce better quality steel rebars with improved yield that [will] give them a competitive edge over the existing set-ups.”

wiredInUSA - August 2020

Wire and cable acquisition

Cable progress

MS Tanwar, chief technology officer Image courtesy of Ta Win Holdings Huawei Marine Networks (HMN) has

completed its marine survey for the Maldives Sri Lanka Cable (MSC) system, connecting Hulhumale, an island in the Maldives archipelago, to Mount Lavinia in Sri Lanka. The survey captured the bathymetric and seabed composition information needed to finalize route engineering and installation methods. The MSC system will be 840km long, and equipped with HMN’s high output titanium housing repeaters at a water depth of 3,700m to provide a reliable regional telecommunications network. Abdulla Firaq, director networks of Dhivehi Raajjeyge Gulhun PLC, commented: “The completion of the marine survey is the result of the concerted efforts of each member in the delivery team. We continue to work closely with [the] HMN team throughout the subsea plant manufacturing and system integration phases.” MS Tanwar, chief technology and information officer of Ooredoo Maldives PLC, said: “We believe that the MSC system will be delivered as scheduled, and it will provide our customers in both countries with a fast and reliable international connectivity experience.” The MSC is scheduled for completion by the end of 2020.

Copper products manufacturer Ta Win Holdings Bhd is to acquire a 51 percent stake in Sin Line Tek Electronic Co Sdn Bhd. Ta Win Holdings said the acquisition will enable it to add value to its copper rod and wire products, and further extend its existing product range into the downstream of the copper rod and wire supply chain. Ta Win executive director Tan Poo Chuan said inastatement that, given the increasing reliance on electrical and electronics products among consumers and across various sectors, the group is well poised to see sustained long-term growth in demand for its cable, wire harness and AC and DC power cords.

wiredInUSA - August 2020

North and South collaboration

High-speed mill

Image courtesy of Danieli

Changshu Longteng Special Steel, of China, has placed an order for a 400,000 ton per year continuous mill for flat bar products. This is further to the new Danieli SBQ mill and wire rod line recently commissioned at the same facility. The new mill will consist of 11 stands arranged in an H/V configuration, as well as a downstream process that includes a transfer bed and equipment for collecting spooled flat products from the customer’s coiling machines. The new mill will replace a three-high mill, increasing annual production capacity and product quality. Finished products will be 70mm to 130mm thick flats for end plates, at rates up to 75 tons per hour. The plant is scheduled to start production at the beginning of 2021.

RTI Connectivity Pte Ltd and NEC Corporation have jointly announced their successful completion of the 2,700km Japan-Guam-Australia North cable system (JGA North). The cable has an initial minimum design capacity of 24Tbps, increasing to 30Tbps over the next year. JGA North interconnects with Japan- Guam-Australia South (JGA South) in Guam, thereby extending the cable’s reach to both Sydney’s central business district and Australia’s Sunshine Coast. The last cable between Japan and Australia was constructed over 20 years ago. JGA North, a private cable with RTI as the sole investor, is the northern segment of the Japan-Guam-Australia cable system between Minami-Boso, Japan and Piti, Guam. JGA North was manufactured and built by NEC, and was funded by proceeds from Japanese financial institutions, including the Fund Corporation for Overseas Development of Japan’s ICT and Postal Services Inc (Japan ICT Fund) and NEC Capital Solutions. JGA South, the southern segment between Piti, Guam, the Sunshine Coast and Sydney, Australia, was manufactured and co-built by NEC and Alcatel Submarine Network (ASN) and has been in service since March 2020. JGA North cable spools onboard the installation vessel

wiredInUSA - August 2020

First flexible DC power grid into operation

Major wind farm goes into production

Macau Photo Agency on Unsplash

Yandin Wind Farm, the biggest wind farm in Western Australia, has delivered its first output to the South West Integrated System (SWIS). The 212MW facility is located approximately 175km north of Perth. Connection to the Western Power network, through a new 330kV terminal and 10km transmission line, was announced by the contracting company, Decmil, who held the $79 million contract to complete the civil and electrical design and construction. Generation began on 12 th July, and will be gradually increased until full production is reached later in the year.

Mao Weiming, chairman of China’s State Grid Corporation, has announced that the Zhangbei renewable energy flexible DC grid test and demonstration facility has been put into operation. The plant is the world’s first flexible direct current (DC) networked power grid project, and uses core technologies and key equipment created in China. These technologies will be used in the Beijing Winter Olympic Stadium, making it the first stadium with a 100 percent clean energy power supply in the history of the games. The project is of great significance for improvingcleanenergydelivery, supporting the Green Olympics, implementing the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development strategy, and driving independent research and development and manufacture of key technical equipment, according to Liu Baohua, deputy director of the National Energy Administration. The project can deliver 14 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity every year, fully meeting the power needs of 26 Winter Olympic venues in the Beijing and Zhangjiakou areas.

wiredInUSA - August 2020

Products, Machines & Technology

wiredInUSA - August 2020

Fiber optic monitoring system Halliburton and TechnipFMC have launched Odassea™, believed to be the first distributed acoustic sensing solution for subsea wells. The technology platform enables operators to carry out seismic imaging and reservoir diagnostics, strengthening digital capabilities in subsea reservoir monitoring and production optimization. Halliburton provides the fiber optic sensing technology, completions and analysis for reservoir diagnostics, while TechnipFMC provides optical connectivity throughout the process. Trey Clark, vice president of Halliburton Wireline and Perforating, said the system “...allows our customers to monitor reservoir performance in real time.” “This project enables an enhanced level of reservoir understanding for our customers, and expands our ... integrated subsea solution,” said Christina Johansen, vice president of TechnipFMC subsea product management control and automation. Operators can accelerate full field subsea fiber optic sensing, design and execution.

New flexibility Philatron’s new UL-listed Philaflex™ material is engineered for greater flexibility in EV cable insulation and jacketing, even in cold weather conditions. Phil Ramos Jr, CEO of Philatron, said: “This new Philaflex material will not only be lighter, with more flexibility, but also provides the ability to manufacture this cable to carry a higher electrical load and has EV UL listing for 1,000 volts.”

S S The new UL-listed Philaflex™ material

Philaflex EV cables comply with European Union directive RoHS, and are available in multi-conductor sizes from 10 AWG to 4/0 AWG to 500kcmil. Operating temperature range is between +105°C and -40°C.

wiredInUSA - August 2020

Aiming for a stable grid New technology will be installed at a power site in Keith, Scotland, in a $25 million project to make using renewable energy easier and cleaner. GE Power Conversion’s Rotating Stabilizer machinery will provide stability of supply to the grid without producing harmful carbon emissions. It is designed to remove the need to run fossil-fuel-powered generators to ensure the electricity system remains stable while energy supplied from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, fluctuates.

When, earlier this year, enough renewable energy was generated to supply the grid, 17 coal and gas power stations were turned on to keep it stable. Julian Leslie, head of networks at NGESO said: “The GB electricity system is one of the most advanced in the world, both in terms of reliability and the levels of renewable power, and we’re really excited to be adding to that with this new approach to operating the grid. “This approach is the first of its kind anywhere in the world, and is a huge step forward in our ambition ... to operate the GB electricity system carbon-free by 2025.” Medical wire Sandvik’s Exera ® medical wire is specifically developed to transmit, sense or stimulate signals within the body. Medical devices are implanted close to the nerve that requires stimulation, meaning that metals and coatings used to manufacture the wire must be biocompatible. Also, as with any medical implant, fine medical wire must be lubricious, and malleable enough to be precisely directed in the body so that the right area is targeted for stimulation.

GE Power Conversion will build and install the equipment. Stability services, such as inertia, short circuit level and frequency, have traditionally been provided by using the kinetic energy in the spinning parts of large generators that run on fossil fuels. S S New technology to make using renewable energy easier and cleaner

wiredInUSA - August 2020

Bend-insensitive single mode fibers (ITU-T G.657.A1 and G.657.A2) are the only fibers capable of securing the entire fiber spectrum, especially at the longer wavelengths (1,625nm and above), by minimizing losses linked to macro and micro bends. These fibers enable the development of extreme fiber count and reduced diameter cabling solutions, to help meet today’s demand for the highest bandwidth capacity in duct installations. Each fiber optic cable within the Draka Universal cabling system comes in a range of bend-insensitive fibers that provide the necessary standard of cable density, and support the necessary fiber spectrum demanded by new PON technologies. BendBrightXS fibers support the full use of transmission bands, covering the entire wavelength spectrum from 1,260nm to 1,625nm for data transmission, and up to 1,675nm for network monitoring. Draka’s bend-insensitive fibers guide provides a brief explanation of the types of bend-insensitivity before moving on to look at the latest developments in fiber coatings that virtually erase problems associated with bending, whilst significantly reducing cable diameters and achieving high fiber density.

“There are typically multiple wires used in a very small space for the stimulation,” explained Gary Davies, manager at Sandvik Materials Technology’s business unit for medical wire manufacturing. “These wires usually have a dielectric coating, so they don’t short to each other and disrupt the signal or electrical energy that is being sent to the nerve to correct the problem.

“This has to be done in a precise and reliable way.”

Two are conductivity and durability, but the wire coating is also important. According to Davies: “It is important that we use ... PTFE or other biocompatible coatings because of the restricted space. essential characteristics

They have to be very thin, but they have to be very robust and non-toxic.”

Fiber guide Draka, part of Prysmian Group, has launched a technology guide: “Bend- insensitive fibers: a key component of future-proof networks”. A key focus of the guide is the range of benefits that bend-insensitive fibers can provide.

wiredInUSA - August 2020

CPS solution Balmoral, a provider of cable protection systems (CPS) for inter-array and export cables for fixed and floating offshore wind installations, has created an integrated CPS that the company describes as “unique”. The CPS was developed by the Discovery Unit, a combination of product research and development, materials and testing specialists. The patented system is available in three standard sizes, and includes a combination of bend restrictors and a bend stiffener, foundation interface device, standard dynamic unit and a detachable pull head, all designed, manufactured and integrated in-house before testing on the company’s test rig. Dr Aneel Gill, product R&D manager, said: “Our systems are designed based on the fatigue limit state (FLS) and offer something different because of their unique diver-less removal feature and the ability to account for free span caused by scour development. “Our patented fibe r-reinforced technology adds stiffness to the system controlling the curvature during the project lifespan.

“This reduces the amount of movement experienced by the cable, improving fatigue performance and greatly reducing the risk of failure through the life of field.”

wiredInUSA - August 2020

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EDITORIAL Index

Aalto Power

25 13 11 22 18 16 40 29 34 16 20 34 35 29 33 39 28 28 14 38 37 27 33 25 28 9

Kustvind AB

26 15 26 29 28 32 34 28 33 26 14 37 32 16 39 27 34 38 33 27 33 37 26 29

Accel International Holdings American Electric Power

Lapp North America

Magnora ASA

AMSC

MHI Vestas

Avangrid Renewables LLC

Mutares SE & Co KGaA

Avient

Naveena Group NEC Corporation

Balmoral

Boltun Corporation

Nexans

22, 28

Changshu Longteng Special Steel

Nexans Metallurgie Deutschland GmbH

Clariant Masterbatch

Ooredoo Maldives PLC

Crosslake Fibre

Ørsted A/S

Danieli Decmil

Phelps Dodge

Philatron

DEME

Polycab India Ltd

Dhivehi Raajjeyge Gulhun PLC

PolyOne

Draka Emcab Emtelle

Prysmian Group

ResearchAndMarkets.com RTI Connectivity Pte Ltd

Facebook

Sandvik

Freeport-McMoRan Copper Products

Sin Line Tek Electronic Co Sdn Bhd

GE Power Halliburton

SSE plc

Ta Win Holdings Bhd

Hellenic Cables SA

TechnipFMC

Huawei Marine Networks

Van Oord

Iberdrola

Walsin Lihwa Corporation

Incab

wiredInUSA - August 2020

ADVERTISING Index

AIM Inc

10 13 11 15

Beta LaserMike (An NDC Technologies Brand)

Clinton Instrument Company

DeWAL

Electrical Cable Compounds Inc

16, 23

Madem

Messe Düsseldorf

Nano-Diamond America Inc

12 19

Paramount Die

Sikora

Troester

17 21

Windak Group

Zumbach Electronic

Marketing: Contact Jason Smith, wiredInUSA, Tel: +44 (0) 1926 834684 Email: jason@wiredinusa.com News: Contact David Bell, Editor, wiredInUSA, Tel: +44 (0) 1926 334137 Email: david@wiredinusa.com

The Professional Publishers Association Member

wiredInUSA - August 2020

America’s online magazine for wire and cable

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wiredinUSA, EuroWire and Wire & Cable ASIA... The leading magazines for the wire and cable industries Download your 2020 media packs today and benefit from an international coverage

wiredIn USA Digital . Networking . Monthly .

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www.read-tpt.com www.read-eurowire Published in English and Chinese languages

America’s online magazine

international magazine for the wire & cable industries

The magazine Wire & Cable ASIA is published six times each year in both English and Chinese languages. A leading magazine in the Asian market for the wire and cable industries, Wire & Cable ASIA is available in print, CD ROM and online, and its circulation is closely controlled to ensure maximum exposure to professionals within the industry. Distribution With its bilingual issues, Wire & Cable ASIA has a unique and increasing wiredIn USA

The magazine A leading international magazine for the wire and cable industries, EuroWire is printed six times per year and is the only magazine published in six different languages including German, Russian, French, Italian and Spanish.The latest corporate news, technology stories, and regular features covering the production and processing of wire, cable, fibre optics, springs, fasteners and precision parts, all form the mainstay of this highly respected magazine. Distribution EuroWire has an increasing and unrivalled distribution across Europe and the Americas and is THE most important source of information in our industry. Total global distribution: over 18,000 per issue. 2020 EDITORIAL FEATURES JANUARY ■ wire Düsseldorf 2020 – show preview MARCH

2020 DITORIAL FEATURES

NUARY

distribution across Asia and the rest of the world. Total global distribution: over 16,500 per issue.

wire Düsseldorf 2020 – show preview

Europe – 40%

Asia (including China) – 41%

Asia (including China) – 24% ■ wire Düsseldorf 2020 – show issue

Americas – 16%

Rest of the World – 3%

MARCH

*Typicaldistribution

Europe – 46%

*Typicaldistribution

Rest of the World – 3%

(Comprisesprinteddistributionandelectronicdistributionplusbonuscirculationat international tradeshows.Pass-along readership isnot included) Website statistics Based upon a 12-month period (1 August 2018 to 31 July 2019): Total sessions served (unique visitors) 122,419

wire Düsseldorf 2020 – show issue

Americas – 27%

MAY

■ Wire Expo – show issue ■ Compounds, colourants, masterbatches and additives

Total hits 545,806

Total hits 549,615

UsageanalysisprovidedbyMatrixStats

JULY

■ Armouring and reinforcing of cables ■ Cutting and weldin

ADVERT MATERIAL & PRODUCTION Liz Hughes

■ What’s new in wire and cable machinery ■ Wire drawing and machinery

ADVERT MATERIAL & PRODUCTION Liz Hughes

Email: liz@intras.co.uk Tel: +44 1926 334137

SEPTEMBER

SALES www.read-wca.com

SEPTEMBER www.read-eurowire.com SALES

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UK, ROW, USA, CANADA & S. AMERICA, GERMANY, AUSTRIA, SWITZERLAND Jason Smith Email: jason@intras.co.uk | Tel: +44 1926 834684

UK, ROW, USA, CANADA & S. AMERICA, GERMANY, AUSTRIA, SWITZERLAND Jason Smith Email: jason@intras.co.uk | Tel: +44 1926 834684 ■ wire China – show issue ■ Reels, spools and winding

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Europe, As

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