The Cable Directory

NKT cables is one of a number of companies to have earned recognition as a major investor in the Czech Republic. The Czech government recognizes companies that choose to make major business investments in the country. The judges of the Top Investor Award said: “The investors were chosen for their noteworthy efforts, even though they are not necessarily the biggest or most well-known. Nevertheless, combined they have invested an amount of some DKK 10 billion.” The award was given to the 12 companies on 20 June when they attended a celebration at the Czech Embassy in Copenhagen. The nkt cables Group was represented by Asger Bruun-Christensen, its COO, and by Ole Meldgaard, CFO of nkt cables in Denmark. nkt cables has three production plants in the Czech Republic. They employ 1,300 people. The Czech Republic has a lot going for it: it is centrally located in Europe, has a business-friendly climate and it is easy to employ highly qualified people. This led nkt cables to settle on the country as its central European production centre for several cable products which are then marketed throughout Europe.

Southwire Company will assist in the development, testing and production of a new high temperature superconductor (HTS) cable capable of suppressing power surges, helping to make power grids more resilient.

Southwire and joint venture partner nkt cables will work with American Superconductor Corporation (Nasdaq: AMSC) to develop the new cable as part of a U.S. Department of Homeland Security initiative to protect the nation’s power systems with “Secure Super Grids.” The cable will allow Consolidated Edison, one of the nation’s largest energy companies, to build a more reliable and secure power system in New York City.

Through the new design, Southwire will participate in the integration of fault-current-limiting capabilities with the proven ability of its HTS Triax™ superconducting cable to provide more power to more people. This cable will be powered by AMSC’s HTS wire known as 344 superconductors and incorporate design characteristics of Southwire’s patented HTS Triax design.

“Superconducting cables have the potential to increase efficiencies in the delivery of electricity in much the same way an expressway handles more traffic than small city streets,” said Stuart Thorn, president and CEO of Southwire. “We are proud that ConEd and AMSC have chosen our unique HTS Triax design as the basis for this new cable, and we are excited to have a role in creating more secure and efficient power delivery systems for our nation.”

Southwire’s HTS Triax cable places the three necessary phase conductors concentrically around a common, central core. This more compact design cuts the amount of HTS wire used in half. In addition, the design reduces the cold surface area, leading to lower critical cooling requirements. Both of these elements drive down the cost of superconducting cables.

By incorporating this design into the new cable, Southwire is building upon more than 10 years of collaborative research and development with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). With funding from the Department’s Superconductivity Partnership With Industry Program, researchers from Southwire and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have made significant technical achievements, including the design and testing of cable splices and terminations. The team successfully developed, installed and operated two HTS systems – one that powered three plants at Southwire’s headquarters in Carrollton, Ga. and another that provides electricity to the power grid of a substation in suburban Columbus, Ohio.

“Together, we have taken superconducting cables from theory to reality,” said David Lindsay, Southwire’s HTS business manager. “We are excited to work with DHS and ConEd to build on that success through AMSC’s Secure Super Grid technology.”

“We are thrilled that New York City will be home to the world’s first Secure Super Grid system,” said Greg Yurek, founder and chief executive officer of AMSC. “Given our recent work together on the highly successful Columbus, Ohio HTS cable project, Southwire Company was the logical choice for this program. We believe our proprietary surge-suppressing technology can be easily incorporated into Southwire’s HTS Triax cable design and look forward to moving forward quickly on Department of Homeland Security’s Secure Super Grid project.”

As Southwire manufactures the first surge-suppressing cable, it also continues parallel work with the Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to improve its HTS cable design, pushing for longer cable lengths, higher capacities, greater voltages, and practical applications.

“As the nation’s power grid grows even more congested, the ability of superconductors to continuously deliver more power to more people becomes crucial to ensuring a continuous flow of electricity,” Thorn said. “In addition, power systems will require greater levels of protection against electrical surges. To meet these challenges, partners like Southwire, AMSC, ConEd and the Department of Homeland Security are using the latest technological advances to provide solutions. That is the true spirit of collaboration.”

Korea’s Taihan Electric Wire Company Limited concluded a contract to provide US$400 million worth of electricity wires to South Africa, it said Thursday. It is the biggest contract in the history of the Korean electrical wire industry. TEC will provide $800 million worth of wires for high voltage transmission annually over the next five years to Eskom Hondings through TEC’s local subsidiary Malesela Taihan Electric Cable (M-TEC).

As the contract includes an optional renewal for two years, the overall order could increase to $600 million. KEC established its local subsidiary M-TEC to advance into the African market in 2000, and has provided optical communication cables to Telkom SA Limited. South Africa plans to expand a large-scale electricity grid to meet the surging demand for electricity as the country prepares to host the 2010 World Cup.