- A symbol of Nexans’ ambition to become a pure player in electrification, AmpaCity brings approximately 100 engineers, researchers and technicians together to work on the electrical technology of the future.
- Nexans invested €20 million in this new 6,000 m2 R&D site.
- With new digital services, data tools, and the integration of recycled materials, this hub brings together diverse minds to develop innovations for safer, more sustainable and decarbonized electricity.
Nexans has been operating in Lyon, France for 120 years and today inaugurates AmpaCity, its new global innovation hub dedicated to low-carbon electrification.
This is where the Group is developing a portfolio of nearly 1,800 patents, with 80 filed every year. Nexans is one of the most innovative European companies in its sector, recognized as such by its customers and partners, present today in Lyon.
AmpaCity demonstrates the Group’s ambition to become a pure player in electrification and to meet the challenges of an electrified world that will require:
- An increase in the distribution of electricity where demand could rise by up to 40% by 2040;
- Improving reliability, resilience, and security of electric grids to better sustain the increase of demand, many of which date from the 1950s-1960s;
- Accelerating installation projects and guaranteeing competitiveness and accessibility of electricity by developing networks and interconnections between countries;
- Reducing the impact on the environment and the promotion of decarbonization in order to combat global warming and act as a responsible partner, in particular through the continuous use of innovative materials.
The 6,000 m² site, which includes 4,500 m² of laboratories, received 20 million euros in investment and brings together around a hundred experts in electrical insulation performance, developing materials with a reduced environmental impact, cable systems that limit fire risks, and digital solutions for monitoring electrical networks. The teams are international, with eight different nationalities represented.
At AmpaCity, Nexans is inventing new, efficient, sustainable, and recyclable materials. The Group has made a firm commitment to recycling 100% of its production waste by 2030, while increasing the quality, properties, and longevity of the materials used.
In terms of fire safety, Nexans is developing electrical cables for the buildings of the future that are more fire-resistant than today, more efficient and with better functionality, with exposure to more than 1000 degrees Celsius, and is continuing to supply safety devices such as alarms, fire doors and emergency lighting for fires.
Another major innovation presented today is Nexans’ superconductor cable. It’s powerful and discreet, measuring less than 20 centimeters in diameter and can carry up to 3 GW of electricity, i.e. the equivalent power of 3 nuclear reactors.
Nexans is the first cable and solutions provider to have combined its expertise with that of asset management professionals. Thanks to the digital and smart tools implemented by the Group, operators can anticipate risks and monitor the state of networks from anywhere, avoiding blackouts and other major failures, particularly in cities and at stations and ports.
I am particularly proud to inaugurate AmpaCity, in the historical birthplace of Nexans in France. It is here that our teams, in collaboration with our partners, imagine and develop solutions to meet all the challenges of future electrification. Our reliable, sustainable and innovative solutions allow us to tackle the challenges of supporting the increasing demand for electricity and being a key player in the energy revolution, on a global scale.
CEO, Nexans
This research and innovation center showcases the Group’s innovative spirit. Our teams are always looking for ways to optimize grid performance in terms of power, efficiency, safety and sustainability. They do so through a collaborative and inclusive process with our partners, involving a community of more than 800 people internationally.
Corporate Vice President for Innovation, Services and Growth, Nexans
This event dove into future of electricity, with numerous demonstrations organized in the presence of public figures and partners, including Microsoft and Cosmo Tech. Fabrice Amedeo, French skipper of the Vendée Globe Challenge 2021 who participated in the last double handed Transat Jacques Vabre and recently returned from the Vendée Arctique, also highlighted his scientific and oceanographic project development with the help of Nexans.
Matteo Caldognetto, Sonepar, about AmpaCity
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Read all- Nexans’ ambitious 2030 climate targets have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
- SBTi’s validation of Nexans’ climate strategy illustrates Nexans’ commitment to decarbonization.
Nexans announces today that its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) mobilizes companies to set science-based targets and boost their competitive advantage in the transition to the low-carbon economy. It is a partnership between Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Nexans’ sustainability roadmap, analysed by SBTi’s Target Validation Team, includes a commitment :
- to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 46.2% by 2030 versus 2019 base year.
Scope 1 and 2 cover the GHG emissions coming from industrial operations of the Nexans Group; - to reduce absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions by 24% by 2030 versus 2019 base year.
Scope 3 covers the GHG emissions coming from use of sold products, purchase of goods and services, metal extraction, transportation, and operations before and after the transformation of raw materials to finished products done by the Nexans Group.
Nexans targets for scope 1 and 2 are in line with the 1.5° C trajectory, determined by the Paris Agreements (COP21). As stated by SBTi, the Group’s 1.5°C-aligned target currently are the most ambitious designation available through the SBTi process.
Nexans will embed sustainability across all its divisions, from innovations and solutions development, product manufacturing, and managing daily operations, to the purchase of raw materials, the use of its sold products, as well as working habits and employees commuting.
We are delighted to announce the SBTi’s validation, which further confirms Nexans is at the forefront of the shift towards a new era of safer, sustainable, renewable, and decarbonized electrification accessible to everyone. Today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to be a world-class pure electrification player in the next decade.
Previous VP Sustainability, Nexans