Wind Energy – Upgrade Facilities
French subsea power cable maker Nexans has unveiled plans to invest $99 million (€90 million) in the construction of new and the upgrade of existing facilities to support the development of offshore wind and subsea interconnections in Europe.
The investment will include the construction of a new, 53 meter tower for the insulation of onshore cables at Nexans’ plant in Charleroi, Belgium and will allow for the production of 3,000 mm2 525kV HVDC onshore cables necessary to support TenneT’s three grid projects, BalWin 3, LanWin 4, and Lanwin 2 under the frame agreement signed in 2023.
Also, the investment will support upgrades to the cable manufacturing process such as a new stranding line and a degassing system specifically designed for HVDC cables and a new aluminum drawing line.
While the majority of the investment will be directed at upgrading its manufacturing plant in Charleroi, Nexans’ other facilities will also get a boost including a new HVDC lab with a hall specifically built for 525kV HVDC testing at its Calais facility in France, and a new injection press at its power accessories facility in collaboration with teams in Erembodegem, Belgium.
The investment will begin in 2025 and run through 2026 when the work is completed.
The Charleroi plant will also connect to the La Sambre channel which will allow Nexans to reduce transportation CO2 emissions by 85%.
“We are pleased to announce this new investment reinforcing our position as a leader in the energy transition. The ability to produce land cables up to 525kV is a game changing capability that will enable us to drive the transition forward for years to come. We are looking forward to completing this critical upgrade in our infrastructure to keep pace with the ever-increasing electricity demand globally,” said Pascal Radue, EVP of Nexans’ Generation and Transmission Business Group.
