wiredinUSA July 2020

Issue No. 109 - July 2020

www.wiredInUSA.com

America’s online magazine for wire and cable

wiredIn USA

Wind power sharing with $2 billion investment Page 9

Construction stayed on schedule, against the odds. Page 11

Germany ups its renewables target. Page 29

Record results for long-product minimill. Page 35

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July 2020 Issue No.109 CONTENTS

06 PAGE

Show Diary 2020

09 PAGE

Making the News Industry news from the USA

28 PAGE

Europe news The latest news from Europe

34 PAGE

Asia & Africa News The latest news from Asia & Africa

40 PAGE

Products, Machines & Technology The latest news from machine industries

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wiredIn USA

© 2020 Intras Limited UK ISSN 2046 - 9497 Publishers of EuroWire and Wire & Cable ASIA magazines

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

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wiredInUSA - July 2020

Diary Shows & Events 2020

July 22-23 July 2020 CRU Wire & Cable 2020 Virtual Conference Online, virtual conference www.events.crugroup.com

September 22-24 September 2020

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

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

October 11-14 October 2020 IWCS 2020 Cable &

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

October 26-28 October 2020

October 27-30 October 2020 Euro Blech Hanover, Germany www.euroblech.com

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

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

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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

Wind power sharing with $2 billion investment M A K I N G T H E NEWS

in early June. The project remains under regulatory review in Texas.

American Electric Power (AEP) has received approvals to acquire the entire planned 1,485MW of wind power generation in Oklahoma, with an investment of around $2 billion. The generated energy will serve Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) and Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) customers. The Louisiana Public Service Commission approved a settlement agreement that authorizes SWEPCO to add 810MW of wind energy. The commission approved an option that could increase Louisiana’s allocation to an estimated 464MW from the original 268MW, if Texas does not also approve the SWEPCO proposal. The Arkansas Public Service Commission also accepted an option to increase its allocation when it approved the project

In February, PSOreceivedfinal Oklahoma Corporation Commission approval to acquire 675MW of the project. Regulatory Commission (FERC) has also approved the acquisition. “[The] decision by the Louisiana Public Service Commission enables us to move forward with the North Central wind projects at full scale, and invest in lowcost wind energy to benefit our customers in Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma,” said Nicholas K Akins, AEP chairman, president and chief executive officer. “We will continue to seek approval to provide a share of this renewable energy to our SWEPCO customers in Texas, as we believe the projects offer significant benefits to customers across our SWEPCO footprint.” The Federal Energy

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Construction stayed on schedule, against the odds

It is a real credit to Scout’s construction management team, our suppliers, contractors and financiers who have worked tirelessly to get to the finish line. “Reaching commercial operations at Heart of Texas brings Scout’s operational portfolio of wind energy generation to 698MW, with a further 146MW under construction and more than 4,000MW in our active development pipeline.”

US-based renewable energy developer Scout Clean Energy has completed construction of the 180MW Heart of Texas (HTX) wind farm. Located in McCulloch County, construction works for the HTX wind facility began in September 2019. Scout’s founder andCEO, Michael Rucker, said: “Heart of Texas was completed on time and under budget, which is quite an achievement given the widespread disruption that COVID-19 has caused across the entire US economy.

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Applications include compacting & stranding; wire & tube drawing; rod breakdown. Materials include aluminium & alloys, copper, brass, welding alloys, low carbon & stainless steel. Trial and take advantage of the benefits of Nano-Die® from Nano-Diamond America. (Nano-Die® is a registered trademark. Product distribution is exclusive through select NDA Distributorships) Nano-Diamond America, Inc. 2025 Woodbrook Court, Tel: +1 (434) 220-0435 visit www.nano-die.com/press Charlottesville, VA 22901 Fax: +1 (804) 980-7770 or e-mail admin@nano-die.com

Latest acquisition will boost expertise

The Beta LaserMike brand has been faithfully serving the wire and cable industry for over 50 years and we have thousands of satisfied customers that rely on our measurement systems every day to improve quality, increase productivity and deliver manufacturing savings. We are committed to your success. Precision Measurement & Control Solutions “Partnering with Seminole will allow Copperweld to have more direct relationships and interaction with end-users, ultimately allowing us to better serve our customers,” said Copperweld CEO Craig York.” Copperweld, based in Fayetteville, Tennessee, is among the world’s largest manufacturers of bimetallic conductors and is the only domestic producer of copper-clad steel (CCS) and copper-clad aluminum (CCA) wire.

Copperweld Group, a portfolio company of Kinderhook Industries, has acquired Seminole Wire and Cable. Seminole manufactures plastic-extruded wire products used in a variety of end markets andapplications, includingblasting and connecting wire for mining, and AV wire for broadcasting.

The company was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Pennsauken, New Jersey.

In-Process Gauging Off-Line Inspection Quality Cable Testing

Get more from Beta LaserMike.

See us at Wire Southeast Asia, Booth H35

Making Light Work

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Superconductor for Chicago grid

American Superconductor (AMSC) has contracted Nexans to produce a cable for the Resilient Electric Grid (REG) project in Chicago. The cable, together with a special jointing system, will be deployed in a Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) substation. AMSC and ComEd entered into a commercial contract as part of a US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate initiative to secure the United States’

electric grid against extreme weather and other catastrophic events. The high current density of the REG cable will be a key advantage for ComEd, enabling a compact installation footprint in densely populated urban areas. Using AMSC’s Amperium superconductor wire, Nexans will manufacture the cable at its specialized superconductor facility in Hanover, Germany. Cable installation in Chicago is scheduled for the end of 2020.

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Changes to the board

Houston Wire & Cable Company has made changes to its management board. Gary Yetman will be executive chairman and William H Sheffield, non-executive chairman since 2012, will succeed Yetman as chairman of the nominating and corporate governance committee. In other changes, Jerry Zurovchak, previously director of operations, has been named senior vice president and chief operating officer. Zurovchak joined the company in 2019 fromGeneral Cable.

Allison Ruggles Goldie, previously director of information technology, is now vice president of information technology. Tamika Howard, previously controller, will be vice president and controller. Lara Walker becomes vice president of human resources, and David Sanborn has been named senior vice president of Southwest Wire Rope.

DeWAL PTFE Films and Tapes New solutions for challenging applications

DeWAL designs and manufactures a broad assortment of skived, unsintered and low density PTFE films and tapes. Our specialty laminates combine PTFE with porous substrates and films to withstand abrasion, harsh chemicals, hostile environments and irregular surfaces. For cost-effective film and tape solutions for masking, insulating, shielding, conducting and coating, call DeWAL today.

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For details and specs, go to www.dewal.com.

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wiredInUSA - July 2020

Hong Kong connections

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has cleared the Pacific Light and Cable Network (PLCN) to connect between the Philippines and the West Coast, but continues to refuse permission for the segment to Hong Kong. The FCC believes that the Hong Kong landing station “would expose US communications traffic to collection” by China authorities.

Despite the setback to the PLCN, Facebook and partners are pushing ahead with a further new trans-Pacific cable, the Hong Kong Americas (HKA). The Hong Kong government has already approved China Telecom’s application for the HKA, which is also backed by China Unicom, Tata and Telstra. HKA will land in Los Angeles.

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I N N O V A T I O N S F O R T H E C A B L E I N D U S T R Y

ELECTRICITY IS LIFE

Power Cables are best made on TROESTER Lines

With the expansion of electricity networks, people all over the world use electricity to bring more light into their lives as well as increased joy, comfort and security.

Power cables that have been produced, using TROESTER systems, for high-quality, medium-voltage (MV), high- voltage (HV) and extremely-high-voltage (EHV) cables offer cable manufacturers significant cost benefits in production as well as TROESTER’s outstanding level of quality. This ensures that energy consumers around the world can enjoy the highest level of supply security. www.troester.de

CCV Line from TROESTER for the cost-effective production of MV, HV and EHV cables with perfect concentricity and roundness and long production lengths.

The redesigned heavy duty (HD) straighteners

Straighteners redesign

Sjogren has redesigned its line of heavy duty (HD) straighteners to help manufacturers reduce costs and increase productivity. Using sleeve-style grooved rolls made from hardened tool steel the HD straighteners can accommodate large diameter wire and rod, while the customizable HD line can accommodate wire diameters of up to 30mm.

The frame has been redesigned using a modular concept, so enabling the HD0515 and HD1020 to accept wire diameters of 5mm to 20mm, while the HD1525 and HD1030 can accept 15mm to 30mm wire, simply by interchanging the rolls.

All models are easily adaptable to hydraulic quick opening.

Improvements to the range include a 20% decrease in weight.

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Latest elastomer

PolyOne’s Barricade™ crosslinkable elastomers are the latest addition to its elastomer portfolio. Based on Fortrex™ technology licensed from Cooper Standard, this crosslinkable elastomer offers high temperature compression set performance and, easier processing, and offers a lighter weight solution when compared to conventional TPVs, silicones and thermoset rubbers.

in performance between TPEs and silicone,” said Jean-Paul Scheepens, general manager, Americas, specialty engineered materials at PolyOne. Barricade products are lighter in weight and show improved tear strength over general-purpose TPV and silicone materials. The naturally translucent material can be colored press-side or formulated in a custom pre-colored version.

“This next generation thermoplastic technology bridges the historic gap

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Custom-designed Xaloy ® screw and barrel packages from Nordson Corporation can withstand the corrosive effects of fluoropolymers in the extrusion of wire and cable insulation, whilemeeting theprocessing requirements of other materials including fluorinated ethylene-propylene (FEP) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). Fluoropolymers are among themost corrosive materials for processing in standard extrusion systems. TheNordsonpackages usecorrosion- resistant materials for all components, with custom-designed screws tomeet the differing processing temperatures of FEP and PVDF and the special mixing requirements of the individual customer. The corrosion-resistant materials specified for FEP screws include Inconel ® nickel-chromium alloys for the base metal, and Colmonoy ® nickel-based alloys for the hard-surfacing that is welded onto the wear surfaces of the screw flights. For PVDF screws, the recommended base metal is chrome-plated 4140 HT alloy steel or stainless steel. The barrel that Nordson recommends for use with both screws is lined with Xaloy X-800 ® , a highly corrosion- and abrasion-resistant nickel-based alloy with tungsten carbide. Inconel is used for discharge flanges and feed ports. “While there is growing demand for fluoropolymers in wire and cable because of their extreme heat and chemical resistance, these materials require plasticating systems that resist corrosion,” said Walter Smith, senior extrusion application engineer. “In consultation with customers in the wire and cable industry, we have designed package systems for FEP and PVDF that meet this requirement as well as addressing the special processing characteristics of each polymer.”

Corrosion- resisting extrusion of fluoropolymers

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wiredInUSA - July 2020

Photo: Erickson Inc

New Jersey airlift

Engineers employed in building Atlantic City Electric’s projects to enhance grid resiliency are using Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane helicopters to place hurricane-resistant lines across marshland and to transport construction workers over environmentally sensitive areas. Four Atlantic City Electric projects are under construction, the first — an upgrade to a major transmission line off Absecon Island — was completed in April. “This is the first time [a helicopter has been] used in marshland construction with PyraMAX transmission towers,” said Gordon Dennis, senior project manager for engineering and construction firm Henkels & McCoy Inc, who are responsible for installation and construction of the transmission poles, towers and lines as well as demolition and removal of the existing system. The helicopters delivered and installed the

steel for three 69,000V transmission lines, and removed wooden poles in marshland to replace them with the PyraMAX towers, designed to withstand winds up to 120mph. Dan Loveland, director of project management for Atlantic City Electric and Delmarva Power, believes $2.5 million was saved on the project by using the helicopters. Expensive restoration work on the marshland was avoided, and construction was faster by “more than a month.” Three more utility projects, together worth about $83 million, are scheduled to start construction in the fall, Loveland added. Two in Cape May County are out to bid, and another, to span both Atlantic and Ocean counties, will go to bid in July.

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Network boost

The Asia-Africa-Europe-1 consortium (AAE-1) has recently completed a significant upgrade with Infinera to boost capacity on its subsea network between East Asia, Egypt and Europe. Infinera’s Infinite Capacity Engine (ICE4) technology and instant bandwidth capability has doubled capacity on the network, and increased service agility and reliability while reducing total cost of ownership. AAE-1’s cable system comprises 25,000km of subsea and terrestrial network, terminating at two points of presence in Singapore.

diverse terrestrial routes across Thailand, providing connectivity to Vietnam, Cambodia and Hong Kong. Its unique routing enables AAE-1 to deliver one of the lowest-latency routes between Hong Kong, India, the Middle East and Europe. “When selecting a solution for AAE-1 it was critical to select a vendor with a seamless scalable solution for the entire network,” said Giuseppe Sini, vice chairman, AAE-1 management committee. “Infinera gave AAE-1 the ability to activate capacity quickly and really differentiate our services.”

It is the only next-generation cable that continues further into Asia through

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Confirming plant power

Gerdau Long Steel North America has confirmed a 20-year power purchase agreement with solar energy provider 174 Power Global. The agreement is coupled with a planned 80MW solar power facility to be built alongside Gerdau Midlothian in Midlothian, Texas.

“Gerdau has a culture of sustainability,” says Gerdau Long Steel North America president ChiaYuanWang. “Theproducts from our Midlothian facility are already made from 100% recycled scrap metal. Developing and utilizing green energy is an innovative way to further enhance our environmental contributions.” Construction is scheduled to begin before the end of 2020, with a projected completion date near the end of 2021.

The project will comprise 231,000 solar panels across 700 acres.

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Flexible and safe

Cicoil has developed low-smoke zero- halogen (LSZH) multi-conductor flat cables. The Hi Flex unshielded cable is jacketed with Cicoil’s proprietary Flexx-Sil™ rubber jacketing material and has been tested by a UKAS certified lab for smoke, toxicity, flammability and halogen content. Flexx-Sil jacketing material will not easily ignite, but if ignited will not produce black smoke or toxic gas during combustion. Cicoil’s Crystal-Clear non-corrosive jacket contains no color additives, plasticizers or CFCs, all of which are typically found in most cable jacketing materials. Unlike

other, stiff, LSZH cables, Cicoil’s cables have an ultra-flex design.

Available from 28 AWG to 4 AWG with up to 12 conductors, the ultra-pure Flexx-Sil jacket offers 100% transparency, is self- healing of small punctures and will not deformor prematurelyagewithprolonged exposure to hazards such as sunlight, high heat, ozone, UV light, radiation, humidity or sodium chloride and many chemicals. Rated for voltages up to 20,000V DC, Cicoil’s 100% contaminant-free power cable is highly durable, and performs well in extreme temperature conditions (-65°C to +165°C).

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EUROPE NEWS

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Peter Altmaier heads the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy

Germany ups renewables target

The German government has set new expansion targets of 20GW capacity by 2030, and 40GW by 2040. Economy minister Peter Altmaier said the revision sets a new “milestone for offshore wind energy”. “For the first timewe’ve also set a target for 2040, which provides all involvedactors with long- termplanning security,” theminister added. The offshore wind power law is expected to enable a swift implementation of licensed offshore wind projects, and also sets the legal basis for green hydrogen production at sea. The municipal utility association VKU, welcomed the amendment in principle, but criticized it for failing to prevent “speculative bidding” in project tenders. Head of VKU Ingbert Liebing argued that only large companies will be able to submit zero-support bids without putting

their financial survival at stake. “This would further reduce the number of actors in the offshore wind sector,” Liebing said, adding that, rather than making offshore wind projects more accessible, the amendment would a prove a hurdle to municipal utilities seeking to engage in the sector. Environmental organization NABU criticized the “hasty decision” to raise the expansion target, saying it ignored the need to reconcile renewable power production with animal protection. According to NABU, completing the 40GW target will mean that 6,300km 2 , 22% of Germany’s exclusive economic zone in the North Sea, is occupied by wind farms. This could have severe implications for local bird populations that avoid wind turbines and, thus, stand to lose half of their German North Sea habitat.

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High rise extension

Call for review of France’s 5G auction

Image courtesy of innogy Renewables

innogy Renewables is planning to build an extension to the Gwynt y Môr wind farm. Awel y Môr, around 10km off the coast of Wales, could comprise up to 107 wind turbines of up to 332m high — a little taller than the Eiffel Tower. As a comparison, the Gwynt y Môr turbines are 150m high and the current tallest wind turbine in the world is around 250m. A spokesperson for the company said: “innogy has begun work to scope the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a potential extension to the Gwynt y Môr offshore wind farm. Work is in the very early stages, with an application for consent not expected to be made until 2022 following extensive environmental and technical assessments, and consultation with the public and other interested parties.” innogy has made it clear that the final number and height of wind turbines specified for the project will depend on turbine technology at the time. “Offshore turbine models are continuously evolving and improving; therefore, the exact wind turbine model will be selected, post- consent, fromthe rangeofmodels available at the point of procurement.” If turbines of the maximum suggested height are available, the number of turbines involved would probably reduce by half.

Bouygues Telecom is calling for greater focus on delivering connectivity in rural areas before switching to 5G, and has officially requested that France’s 5G auction be delayed by six months. Group CEO Martin Bouygues is recommending that the process does not proceed until late 2020 or early 2021. At the core of the company’s argument is the belief that there is still significant work to be done to improve the nation’s LTE coverage for underserved customers. France’s 5G auction, as with many others in Europe, has been delayed by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. In April, the French regulator ARCEP said it would be delaying the final stages of the auction process, proposing either the second half of July or early September. Since then, no further timetable has been announced. Many countries, such as China and recently South Korea, are promoting rapid growth in 5G as a core element to their national economic recovery post-COVID-19. However, with 5G much less mature in France this factor is less significant, leading Richard Viel, Bouygues Telecom CEO, to suggest that an additional six month delay to the 5G auction would have little effect on the national economy.

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Decision for wind extension

Beginning of the end for Finnish peat energy

The UK secretary of state for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has refused Vattenfall’s Development Consent Order (DCO) application for the Thanet Extension offshorewind project, stating that Vattenfall failed to demonstrate sufficient mitigation of risks to the safety of navigation. The project’s possible impact on marine navigation, shipping and ports was the principal cause of opposition throughout the examination. Concerns included the effect of the project on navigational safety of shipping traffic in immediately adjacent waters; the resilience of facilities and services accessed by that traffic; and, in this context, the degree to which the proposed development was policy compliant. In addition, no lease had been agreed to secure the property rights for offshore construction. The proposed project would extend the 300MW Thanet offshore wind farm by 34 turbines. Vattenfall submitted the application for the DCO to the Planning Inspectorate in June 2018 and the examining authority was appointed at the end of that year.

Finnish energy company EPV Energy is planning to build a 100MW solar park in the town of Lapua, in the South Ostrobothnia region. The power plant will occupy disused peatland and will replace peat energy production by EPV Bioturve Oy. Power generation from peat, which supplies around 4% of Finland’s electricity, is more polluting than coal-fired generation and produces more than twice the CO 2 emissions of natural gas. The planned solar project, Finland’s largest to date, will feature 463,680 panels and be connected to the Lapua-Sänkiaho 110kV power line. Elsewhere, Finnish companies Wärtsilä and Vantaa Energy have announced plans to build the country’s first power-to-gas facility to produce carbon-neutral synthetic biogas using carbon dioxide emissions and electricity generated at Vantaa’s waste-to- energy plant. A feasibility study is yet to be carried out but, said Wärtsilä: “The parties intend to continue joint development of the project towards a commercial-scale pilot project.” The synthetic biogas produced is intended to replace the use of natural gas in district heating and reduce Vantaa Energy’s carbon dioxide emissions.

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Link’s quick return to full operation

Floating wind proposal for the Canaries

Image courtesy of NKT

Image courtesy of Greenalia

NKT carried out a complete offshore repair of the Baltic Cable power link, restoring it to operation within 29 days of it being damaged by an anchor. The initial operation, to locate and identify the damage to the 250km 450kV HVDC cable, was completed within five days. The damaged cable section was located roughly 20km off the Swedish coast, at a water depth of 30m. “I am very pleased with our short mobilization time, enabling us to bring the Baltic Cable back into operation in less than a month. Time and accuracy are crucial for the success of power cable service operations and here we clearly demonstrated that we are quick and efficient when mobilizing our equipment and skilled repair team,” saidAxel Barnekow Widmark, executive vice president and head of service in NKT.

The Spanish renewable energy producer Greenalia has submitted its planning application for the first floating offshore wind farm off the island of Gran Canaria. The 50MW project, named Parque Eólico Gofio, will comprise four 12.5MW wind turbines on floating foundations. The project site is located in a high wind area in the south-east of the Gran Canaria island, in waters off the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana and close to the port of Arinaga. If completed, the floating wind project will contribute to green development in the Canary region and to meeting the 310MW Marine Renewable Energy target, established by the Canary government in 2017. In 2019, Floating Power Plant (FPP) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) to investigate and develop a commercial scale version of its hybrid floating wind and wave energy device in the PLOCAN site. The PLOCAN testing site currently hosts the 1:6 scale W2Power multi- turbine platform, commissioned in June 2019. The project has been developed by EnerOcean, Ghenova, Ingeteam and Tension Technology International.

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Cable landing put on pause

Crete-Attica interconnection

Image courtesy of Prysmian Group

The decision to grant a license for a transatlantic fiber optic cable to come ashore in Clew Bay, Ireland, has been rescinded. A Clare Island fisherman has initiated a High Court challenge over the granting of the license by the Department of Planning and Local Government for the Irish spur of a multi-million-euro project connecting Europe with the US. The consortium is America Europe Connect 2 Limited (AECL), with Google and Facebook among the companies involved in the project. Construction teams had been on standby, in isolation, in County Mayo waiting to start work on the Irish section of the cable system. In his action, James O’Toole claims the shortest possible route to Ireland’s shore was selected even though it is through areas of rocky seabed where the cable cannot be buried. He said the route is also through sensitive fishing grounds in Clew Bay, as well as the narrow channel between Achill and Clare islands where protected endangered species, including bottle-nosed dolphins and Brent geese, are known to live.

Prysmian Group has a two-phase contract with Ariadne Interconnection, a company fully owned by the Greek transmission system operator IPTO. The project is for submarine interconnections between Crete and the Attica region of mainland Greece. The first phase involves the design, supply, installation and commissioning of a 335km turn-key HVDC (high voltage direct current) cable system, designed to transmit 1,000MW and consisting of 500kV mass impregnated insulation and double wire armoring. The second phase involves the design, supply, installation and commissioning of two submarine telecommunication links for a total length of 670km between Crete island and Attica region. Prysmian will use its own vessels for the cable laying. Commissioning for both projects is scheduled for sometime between 2020 and 2023.

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ASIA & AFRICA NEWS

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Record results for long-product minimill New productivity record for the Danielli bar and wire rod mill

A Danieli bar and wire rod mill, installed at Rajhi Steel, in Saudi Arabia in 2010, has achieved a productivity record. The facility produced 101,036 tons of finished product during March 2020, and a total of 286,312 tons during the first quarter of the year. The Rajhi Steel long-product minimill is designed to produce 1 million tonnes per year of deformed bars between 10mm and 40mmdiameter, and plain/deformed wire rod of 5.5mm to 16mm diameter, in low-, medium- and high-carbon steels. The mill comprises a 100 ton AC Danarc ® EAF and LF, 5/6-strand billet caster for 130mm to 160mm billets, and a 1,380,000

Nm 3 /h dedusting plant to treat primary and secondary fumes. It rolls billets from a 200 ton per hour re-heating furnace at 40m per second, onto a bar cooling bed equipped with a double twin-channel system for bar braking and discharging. Wire rod coils are produced at 105m per second. The bar finishing mill features two, 4-pass DWB Delta-type, high speed finishing blocks and an in-line QTB water- quenching system for weldable deformed bars with high tensile strength. The wire rod finishing mill includes a 10-pass, DWB finishing block and controlled cooling line with QTR water cooling.

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Cable selection gets easier

Cable to connect Asia gets underway

Image courtesy of LS Cable & System

Image courtesy of Tata Communications

LS Cable & System (LS C&S) has developed a mobile application that allows users without professional knowledge to find the cables they need. The ConnectLS app will recommend the most suitable cables using simple data, such as the number and length of cables, voltage, arrangement, depth of burial and temperature. LS C&S expects that the app will be particularly useful for small-sized construction sites, where the wrong selection of cables can cause accidents such as short circuit, and fire. The manufacturer plans to provide customized services using big data by collecting customer information through the app, and in future to offer cable buying online. “We plan to innovate business models by applying big data, Internet of Things and artificial intelligence into cable business, in line with the firm’s digital transformation strategies,” said LS C&S CEO Myung Roe- hyun.

Tata Communications has announced that the Asia Direct Cable (ADC) consortium, of which it is a member, is building a submarine cable to connect China (Hong Kong SAR and Guangdong Province), Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The consortium has selected NEC Corporation to construct the 9,400km cable, which is expected to be completed by late 2022. “Our collaboration within ADC consortium to build this high performance submarine cablewill provideenterpriseswithadditional connectivity between major traffic hubs in Asia,” said Carl Osborne, associate vice president, international cable network development, at Tata Communications. The cable will feature multiple pairs of high capacity optical fibers and is designed to carry in excess of 140Tbps of traffic, enabling high capacity transmission of data across the east and southeast Asian regions. ADC’s high capacity will allow it to support the increasingly bandwidth- intensive applications driven by 5G, cloud platforms, Internet of Things and artificial intelligence.

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Securing the standard

Works underway on Ghana data center

LS Cable and System’s DC 1,500V photovoltaic cable has received international standard certification from Germany’s TÜV Rheinland. The cable meets the functional and safety standards of the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and EN (European Norm). LS C&S believes that the certification will allow the company to expand further into markets in Europe, Asia and the Middle East that use IECand EN standards, as well as the domestic market. The company is planning to develop additional standard products for the North American and Japanese markets. The photovoltaic cables have been designed for resilience against UV radiation, extreme heat and cold, and water, and with a higher energy transmission efficiency than existing AC cable. President and CEO of LS C&S Roe-hyun Myung commented: “As Korea has adopted its Green New Deal policy, and as governments around the world are expanding the use of new renewable energy sources…, we are planning to concentrate on related [research and development] and marketing.” Korea itself does not currently have any standard regarding the use of DC 1,500V cables in photovoltaic systems. LS Cable and System’s DC 1,500V photovoltaic cable has received international standard certification from Germany’s TÜV Rheinland

MainOne has started construction activities at the MDXi data center in Appolonia, Ghana. The Tier III facility will be built and operated in accordance with the same operational standards currently maintained at MainOne, and at West Africa’s largest Tier III certified and only PCI DCSS data center, MDXi Lagos, in Nigeria. The project, which was initially scheduled for completion in December 2020, will now be ready for service during 2021 due to the delays caused by the pandemic and its impact on the global supply chain and the delivery of key components. The 100-rack facility will feature private colocation whitespace, enterprise- grade 24×7 multi-level security and video surveillance, precision cooling, and safety and fire suppression systems with multiple redundancies built into the power, cooling and security infrastructure. It will be operated as a carrier-neutral facility with connectivity options to the MainOne submarine cable system and a range of other international connectivity cable systems and networks. It will offer open access connectivity options to all MNOs, ISPs, corporate and public sector customers in Ghana as well as access to various internet exchanges in Africa and Europe.

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First offshore project in Taiwan gets underway

Reprieve may pave the way to recovery

Image courtesy of LS Cable and System

East African Cables is to delay publication of its audited financial results for the year ended 31 st December 2019, pending discussions regarding its future. Company secretary Virginia Ndunge said: “The delay has been occasioned by ongoing discussions with the company’s lenders to complete the remaining portion of the debt restructure transaction.” East African Cables was granted a major reprieve when SBM Bank (Kenya) rescinded its liquidation plans and, instead, worked on a debt settlement and restructuring agreement. “The agreement involves a restructure of the outstanding facilities by the bank under a new long-term facility and security arrangement,” Ndunge said in a public notice. The withdrawal of the petition is a significant step towards a turnaround plan that will include strengthening of the balance sheet, operational improvements, and establishing a funding structure for growth and profitability. The company has a presence in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Southern Sudan and Ethiopia through its distribution network, and specializes in manufacturing cables for applications in domestic and industrial lighting, power transmission and distribution.

LS Cable and System has shipped its first batch of submarine cables for Taiwan’s offshore wind industry. This is the first shipment for a submarine cable project that LS C&S was awarded in 2019, to supply all the high voltage submarine cables for the first offshore wind farm in Taiwan. The consignment weighed 2,500 tons, equivalent to a total length of 70km. The cables were manufactured at the submarine cable plant in Donghae, Gangwon-do and were scheduled for installation off the coast of Yunlin Xian during June. Between 2020 and 2035, the Taiwanese government is planning to construct a total of 15GW offshore wind farms in three projects, increasing thecountry’s proportion of renewable energy from 5% to 50%. The Taiwanese government aims to use local resources for energy equipment and materials, but specialist submarine cables were excluded from localization targets.

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New addition to Japanese wind power

Singapore contract

LS Cable and System is to supply electrical cables worth $82 million under a contract to the Singapore government. The deal is for 400km of high- and low-voltage cable, and will be fulfilled through 2021. LS C&S president and CEO Myung Roe- hyun described the deal as: “A valuable achievement, based on past efforts, at a difficult time.” LS C&S Gumi plant in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province. Photograph courtesy of LS C&S

Image courtesy of Sumitomo Electric Industries

Sumitomo Electric Industries has completed the construction of Japan’s largest wind farm, Wind Farm Tsugaru, on behalf of Kajima Corporation. After two and a half years in construction the 121,600kW wind farm is now in commercial operation. Sumitomo Electric was responsible for the design, manufacture and installation of electrical equipment, such as the underground power transmission, distribution lines and substation equipment, working jointly with Nissin Electric Co and Sumitomo Densetsu Co. The Sumitomo Electric Group contributed to the optimization of equipment design by selecting the most efficient transmission voltage, determining appropriate equipment specifications through system analysis for addressing high harmonics and over-voltage issues, and conducting route surveys for underground pipes. The group also installed a 34km ultra-high voltage (154kV) power transmission line.

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Products, Machines & Technology

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Speedy subsea survey A UK subsea contractor is using an autonomous underwater vehicle to reduce the time it takes to survey an offshore wind farm, while also reducing its carbon footprint. Modus Seabed Intervention has completed a high speed, bathymetric and depth- of-burial survey of the inter-array cable routes for the Gwynt-y-Môr offshore wind farm, utilizing its Modus HAUV-2 (hybrid autonomous underwater vehicle). The challenging site is known for high subsea currents with water depths of between 12m and 28m. The HAUV-2, which has the power and stability to work in high currents, was able to carry out the survey in roughly a quarter of the time it would take a remotely operated vehicle. Nigel Ward, chief commercial officer for Modus, said: “The ability to perform high speed depth-of-burial in high current areas has been an ongoing requirement of the offshore wind industry. “With HAUV we were able to significantly reduce overall survey time at this important offshore wind farm. Going forward, the flexibility of payl oad enables this vehicle to combine various types of survey and inspection to improve efficiency and further reduce vessel days offshore...

“The next phase of development is to remove the need for a dedicated support vessel and to use the autonomous features of the HAUV to perform scopes from vessels or structures already in field.” Gwynt-y-Môr was the first complete offshore wind farm inter-array survey performed by HAUV-2. Safety spool The e-spool flex is the igus edition of a cable drum; it safely moves and stores a single cable or hose whilst retaining an end-to- end connection. A spiral guide allows quick installation of the cable into the reel, and the e-spool flex is ready for use. The e-spool is designed to overcome the hazard of trailing cables and hoses across workshops and production areas.

Cable reels with slip rings offer a solution for power transmission but are often only available as a complete package with a custom cable. S S The e-spool flex from igus

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calculation that considers cable formation, cable size, short circuit current and the installation environment. Stephen Walton, technical director of Ellis Patents, said: “Correctly specifying cable cleats, and the spacing they need to be installed at, is vital in ensuring they function properly when called into action.

A further disadvantage is that the fast transmission of data and media can be difficult with slip rings, so igus has developed the e-spool flex cable reel with a spiral guide. The new cable reel will guide a power or data cable without interruption to the connection. The e-spool flex is available in two versions, one with a manual winder, and an automatic solution with a brake and a spring-driven return mechanism. Three sizes of drum are available for cables with a diameter of 5mm to 11mm and an extension length of 5m to 15m.

The cables can be quickly replaced at any time.

igus also offers its cable reel solution fully harnessedwith chainflex cables, specifically designed for moving applications.

Specifying in seconds Cable cleat manufacturer Ellis Patents has developed an online calculator to provide users with accurate specification information for any project within seconds. The calculator provides correctly specified cleat spacings, with respect to short circuit conditions, and recommends products for the project through a pre-programmed

S S The online calculator from Ellis

“Until now, specifiers and planners needed to make the calculation using a complex formula, and then interpret these results into product type, quantity and exact spacing.

“Our cable cleat calculator removes this complicated mathematical element from

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the specification process, and replaces it with a foolproof option that provides the correct cleat specification quickly and easily.” Ongoing sealing supply Roxtec has supplied cable sealing solutions to the Irish Distillers Group. Ronan Mills, Roxtec’s market manager for Ireland, said the products were chosen to provide watertight and fireproof seals at cable entry points in the whiskey maker’s new maturation warehouses in Dungourney, County Cork. Mr Mills said: “Irish Distillers can build three to five of these storage facilities every year in order to let newly distilled whiskies mature for varying lengths of time, depending on their type. “Roxtec’s role involved supplying the company on a continual basis with transits for sealing cables entering these warehouses. “Maturation and storage facilities are designed to hold a considerable amount of flammable alcohol, so it was essential to use cable sealing solutions that offer protection against fire and the risk of explosion. “Roxtec’s R frames and GH frames with sealing modules are fire rated, airtight and watertight – ideal for protecting employees, stock and buildings.”

Mr Mills continued: “While ensuring protection against key risks was a major consideration for Irish Distillers, the company also required a sealing solution that was flexible enough to handle future increases in capacity. “As a result, we built at least 20 percent spare capacity into the transits to allow for … upgrades in years to come.” Space cable Axon’ Cable’s range of RF cable assemblies up to 45GHz have been QPL qualified by the European Space Agency (ESA) according to European Space Components Coordination (ESCC) 3408/003 specification. The microwave coaxial assemblies have been developed with the support of the French Space Agency (CNES). With half the weight of non-approved equivalent products, the assemblies are designed for excellent electrical characteristics and to provide a solution for antennae developed for telecommunication satellites operating in the Q band (45GHz). Made with a 3.4mmdiameter coaxial cable and terminated with swept or straight SMA connectors, the assembly is highly resistant to radiation (> 300Mrad), and demonstrates excellent electrical performance in terms of

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The new DSPs are complemented by the CStar portfolio of coherent optical engines — brought to Nokia through its recent acquisition of Elenion Technologies. Sam Bucci, head of optical networks at Nokia, said: “…400G will be a catalyst for a significant transformation. With our WaveFabric Elements, Nokia is committed to supplying the 400G optical ecosystem with components, subsystems and design services, as well as continuing to build the highest performing optical transport solutions for the 400G era and beyond.”

VSWR (<1.25) and insertion losses (3.0 db/m at 45GHz).

The cables are suitable for either ground- based or onboard radar, and for avionic or military applications.

Powering 400G applications

Nokia has announced its WaveFabric Elements portfolio of photonic chips, devices and subsystems, including a fifth- generation coherent digital signal processor (DSP) family, the Photonic Service Engine V (PSE-V). Nokia’s WaveFabric Elements combine digital signal processing (DSP) and optics technologies focused on emerging end- to-end 400G applications, allowing Nokia to optimize the entire electro-optic engine that powers networks. A high degree of vertical integration is expected to ensure that Nokia’s optical solutionswill continue tomeet theeconomic and technical requirements of data center, metro, long haul and subsea networks. Nokia’s DSP range, comprising the Nokia PSE-Vs (super coherent) and the low power PSE-Vc (compact), continues Nokia’s history of developing multiple DSPs optimized for different optical networking applications, form factors and platforms.

Unit takes up and pays off

Maillefer’s FPO/FTU 14 is a versatile, floor traversing pay-off and take-up.

Rated at 14 tons, and with the capacity to handle a range of reel diameters from 630mm to 3,200mm, the unit is available in either tire or dog pin drive versions.

With the tiredrive, adouble tireconfiguration ensures traction evenat high cable tensions.

Spooling is possible in any vertical position, giving faster reel changes when spooling on small reel sizes.

The ergonomic control panel is easily accessible fromdifferent operator positions.

The FPO/FTU 14 is geared for line speeds of up to 400m per minute.

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