wiredInUSA June 2019

Securing offshore assets

Bulgarian expansion

Image: Prysmian Group

MD Elektronik groundbreaking ceremony

Prysmian Group has a contract from Vineyard Wind, LLC to provide the submarine power cable system between the mainland power grid and the Vineyard Wind 800MW project off the coast of Massachusetts. With the notice to proceed expected at the end of 2019, Prysmian will be responsible for the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of an HVAC cable system composed of two 220kV three-core cables with extruded XLPE insulation. The project requires a total of 134km of power cables. The cables will be produced by Prysmian facilities in Pikkala (Finland) and Arco Felice (Italy), with installation handled by its Cable Enterprise and Ulisse cable-lay vessels. Delivery and commissioning of the project are scheduled for 2021. The power lines for Vineyard Wind will feature Pry-Cam permanent monitoring that collects and analyzes data using an artificial intelligence interface. Pry-Cam is a Prysmian technology that provides on-line, accurate and reliable in-depth information to help electric assets owners to increase asset longevity and safety, while reducing maintenance costs and risks.

German manufacturer MD Elektronik plans to invest $12.7 million in a new plant in Vratsa, Bulgaria, for making automotive cables. The new entity, to be called MD Elektronik EOOD, will make data cables and electronic components. Production is expected to start in 2020. “The location in Bulgaria, and the associated increase in flexibility, plays an important strategic role in our global production network, in particular for our customers in Europe,” said Ralf Eckert, a member of the company’s management board. The plant is in an industrial area, close to the border with Romania. MD Elektronik is also expanding its Waldkraiburg campus with a new technology center. Completion and commissioning of the facility are planned for later in 2019.

wiredInUSA - June 2019

30