Nexans and SNCF Réseau revolutionize rail safety with an innovative superconducting fault current limiter

• Nexans and SNCF Réseau are once again joining forces in superconductivity to increase the safety and reliability of the rail network.
• Developed by Nexans and installed by SNCF Réseau, the superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) is a world first on the rail market. It limits disruptions to the power supply of the rail network using a standalone system to reduce short-circuit currents.
• Designed to supply power for trains in the Belfort area (Burgundy-Franche-Comté region in France), this innovative limiter improves the availability of electrical installations.

Nexans, a leader in the design and manufacture of cable systems and services, is forming a unique partnership with SNCF Réseau, infrastructure manager of the French rail network, to deploy a superconducting fault current limiter. This technological innovation will secure and optimize electric rail traction on the line between Belfort and Delle, including the cross-border link with Switzerland.

A revolutionary solution for a more efficient rail network

Railway power grids are under growing pressure, with the continuing expansion of rail traffic and the upgrades to equipment. Power surges and short-circuits can cause major disruptions. To address this challenge, Nexans and SNCF Réseau have joined forces to deploy an innovative superconducting current limiter (SFCL).

Developed by Nexans, and integrated with the Bussurel substation, a strategic location identified by SNCF Réseau, the SFCL is able to reduce short-circuit currents in standalone mode, regenerating in less than five minutes, without human intervention.

This revolutionary technology offers several advantages:

• Improved network reliability and safety. The SFCL acts as a shock absorber in the event of a problem, limiting current peaks and disruptions to the network when short circuits occur.
• Optimized infrastructures. In the long term, the SFCL could pave the way for smaller electric traction installations, thereby cutting rail infrastructure costs, while supplying power for more trains.
• Better service. The SFCL avoids the need for rail works that are inconvenient for users, providing an efficient, cost-effective solution with no impact on the traffic schedule.

A partnership to support the energy transition in rail transport

Faced with the need to modernize power grids and meet growing demands for energy, Nexans is positioning itself as a leader in the development of revolutionary superconductor technologies. These innovations will completely transform the electrification of transport and power distribution, paving the way for a more sustainable, high-performance energy future.

Nexans’ vision is based on a network of interconnected superconductor systems, able to meet tomorrow’s energy challenges. This ambition is reflected in iconic projects such as the superconducting fault current limiter deployed on the Belfort-Delle line, a milestone in the collaboration between the two players, as well as the SuperRail project, to power the Montparnasse-Vouillé substation with superconducting cables. These partnerships illustrate the commitment made by the two players to innovation and sustainable development.

Deployment of the superconducting fault current limiter is scheduled for late 2025. This project is a major step forward in rail electrification, paving the way for further innovations to make transport safer, more reliable and more sustainable.

• Nexans and energy company Equinor strengthen their long-term collaboration with a four-year contingency and preparedness contract.
• Nexans’ unique and extensive repair expertise covers all types of existing cables
• The contract includes assistance from a team of Nexans experts and the provision of a vessel to meet the intervention requirements.

Nexans has signed a contingency and prepardness contract with international energy company Equinor.

As an international energy group committed to creating long-term value for a low-carbon future. Equinor has a long-standing relationship with Nexans which has resulted in a number of pioneering projects.

Nexans is extending this collaboration through a 4-year agreement that includes turnkey repair services for various cable systems. Equinor will manage and operate the contract on behalf of the Pipeline Repair and Subsea Intervention (PRSI) Pool members. The agreement covers approximately 3,000 km of cable.

To ensure Equinor’s assets’ normal functioning, Nexans will provide its unique expertise of performing complex turnkey repairs on all types of cables (XLPE, mass impregnated or oil-filled cables).

In the case of a cable system failure, Nexans will offer its expertise of installing and maintaining submarine cable systems by mobilizing highly-skilled teams to assess the fault and perform any necessary repairs. Nexans is committed to finding the most suitable solution and intervene as quickly as possible, ensuring continuity of power transmission. The areas of operation are located in Northern Europe but can be broadened according to the clients’ needs.

• Nexans secures first call-off under 2GW TenneT framework agreement
• The project involves the EPCI of HVDC cables for the BalWin3 and LanWin4 offshore grid connection systems. Transmitting in total 4 Gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy from the North Sea to Wilhelmshaven in Germany (Lower Saxony).
• This key project reinforces Nexans’ position as a leader in the European offshore wind market

Nexans, leader in the design and manufacturing of cable systems and services has secured the first call-off under the TenneT framework agreement awarded in April 2023.

This project involves the Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Installation (EPCI) of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cables for the BalWin3 and LanWin4 grid connection systems. Transmitting in total 4 Gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy from the North Sea to Wilhelmshaven in Germany (Lower Saxony).

Nexans will be utilizing its new 525 kV HVDC XLPE cable technology and implementing an innovative “four bundle” cable laying method for the first time in the Group’s history for the project installed by its new cable laying vessel.

• Nexans has signed a capacity reservation agreement with Scottish transmission owner SSEN Transmission to supply and install approximately 100 km of 220 kV high-voltage cables, both onshore and offshore.
• These cables will provide a transmission connection from Orkney to the Scottish mainland at Dounreay on the north coast of Scotland.
• The Orkney Islands represent a major source of renewable electricity potential, and its connection to the mainland will help decarbonize the UK’s electricity production.

Nexans, a leader in the design and manufacturing of cable systems and services, announces that it has been selected by SSEN Transmission to supply and install the high-voltage cables that will provide a transmission link from Orkney to Dounreay in the Scottish Highlands. A capacity reservation agreement has been signed between both parties and Nexans has committed to reserve manufacturing and installation capacity for a significant contract to be signed in 2024.

An essential project for the renewable energy transition in the UK

In recent years, the Orkney Islands have made significant investments to develop the generation of electricity from renewable sources. Existing and planned renewable energy projects on the islands will generate more electricity than can be consumed or exported with the existing grid infrastructure. With this increased generation capacity due to come online in the coming years, connecting Orkney to the Scottish transmission network has become a necessity to be able to export this renewable electricity and increase the proportion of low-carbon electricity in the UK.

The 220 kV AC subsea and land cables supplied by Nexans will play a decisive role in the energy transition in the UK, illustrating the Group’s commitment to the electrification of the world.

A decisive partnership with SSEN Transmission

This success demonstrates the quality of the solutions provided by Nexans and the technical expertise of its teams, whose collaboration with SSEN Transmission over the last few years has been of the highest quality. The agreement is an important step in our partnership with SSEN Transmission, which will continue until the official signing of the contract in the second quarter of 2024.

This agreement will enable Nexans to further expand its presence in the UK and confirms its ambition to build strong relationships worldwide with strategic companies such as SSEN Transmission, a major player in electrification.

The OPHELIA research project aims to promote the development of linear photovoltaic power plants by installing solar panels on long, narrow land surfaces (running alongside dikes, roads, railways, etc.). Selected in 2023 as the winner of the “DEMO TASE” call for proposals launched by the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME), and developed by five partners (CNR, Nexans, Schneider Electric, SNCF, and SuperGrid Institute), OPHELIA is a research project focused on the electrical architecture of linear photovoltaic power plants and their integration into the built environment.

A solar canopy demonstrator will be deployed over a near-900-meter section of the ViaRhôna—a cycling route following the Rhône River—in the Vaucluse department by 2028.

Set to showcase a truly disruptive technology, the OPHELIA project will help accelerate regional photovoltaic development without creating any land-use conflicts, as it will make use of linear land that has already been developed.

Representing an investment of over €20 million, the OPHELIA project is funded by the French State as part of the France 2030 investment plan—executed by ADEME—and holds labels awarded by the Tenerrdis and i-Trans industrial clusters.

Disruptive technology developed for long-distance power transmission

In line with two of the photovoltaic industry’s goals, the OPHELIA project aims to exploit linear land running alongside existing infrastructure and reduce long cable-related electrical losses by developing technological building blocks that make it possible to replace alternating current with medium-voltage direct current (MVDC).

OPHELIA is an innovative R&D project comprising electrical architecture design, prototype production, and on-site testing, and involving five partners—CNR (the project coordinator), Nexans, Schneider Electric, SNCF, and SuperGrid Institute.

Demonstrator characteristics

The demonstrator will consist of a series of three solar canopies, installed over around 900 meters of the ViaRhôna cycling route—which follows the Rhône River—in Caderousse in the Vaucluse department. Expected to have an installed capacity of around 900 kWp (generating enough electricity to meet the annual needs of approximately 700 people), the demonstrator will comprise 30 solar canopy structures. The panels will be angled toward the east and the west, forming a roof.

The partners involved in the project will be given the opportunity to design and conduct on-site testing of an electrical architecture and all the equipment required to transmit MVDC electricity from the point of production to the point of delivery.

The construction and testing phases are scheduled to take place between 2025 and 2028, following three years of engineering design studies, R&D, and prototype development.

An innovation-focused project supported by the French State and executed by ADEME

The OPHELIA project was selected as the winner of the “Technologies Avancées pour les Systèmes Énergétiques : DEMO TASE” call for proposals launched by ADEME in 2022.

Representing a total investment of over €20 million, the project is co-funded by the French State (contributing around 40% of funding) as part of the France 2030 investment plan, which is being executed by ADEME in a bid to enhance the country’s industrial competitiveness and future technology development.

This funding is key to supporting the partners involved in developing this large-scale R&D project. OPHELIA has also been awarded labels by the Tenerrdis and i-Trans industrial clusters.

• Nexans is awarded the turnkey contract for the section of the Great Sea Interconnector that connects Greece and Cyprus.
• The interconnector will deliver up to 2,000 MW of energy to Europe and will be the largest interconnector project in history, supplying over 3 million homes with electricity.
• This major contract, valued at €1.43 billion, sets multiple records including the longest and deepest cables ever laid, each with a length of 900 km that will be supplied and installed by Nexans Aurora and Nexans Skagerrak cable laying vessels, and run across the Mediterranean Sea floor at depths of over 3,000 meters.
• Through a variety of ongoing global projects, Nexans is pushing the boundaries of its strategy and the Great Sea Interconnector will be a game-changing step in the energy transition.

In a historic first, Nexans, a world leader in the design and manufacturing of cable systems and services, has been awarded the major contract valued at €1.43 billion for the section of the Great Sea Interconnector that connects Greece and Cyprus. As a critical part of a broader project to connect the grids of Greece, Israel, and Cyprus, the 525kV high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable will be the longest and deepest interconnector in the world with a bi-pole length of 2×900 km, and will run across the Mediterranean Sea floor at depths of over 3,000 meters. Subsea HVDC Mass Impregnated cables will be manufactured in Nexans’ facilities in Halden (Norway) and Futtsu (Japan) and will be installed by the state-of-the-art cable laying vessels Nexans Aurora and Nexans Skagerrak.

The Great Sea Interconnector will exchange up to 1,000 MW among the three nations with the capability of increasing to 2,000 MW, the equivalent to 3 million households’ average electricity consumption, and will end the energy isolation of Cyprus by creating an energy highway between Europe and Asia. Pole One is expected to be completed in 2028 and Pole Two in 2029.

The interconnector has been designated as a Project of Common Interest (PCI) by the European Union which will allow the project to benefit from accelerated planning and permitting, lower administrative costs, and public participation. To qualify as a PCI, a project must also contribute to the European Union’s energy and climate goals, and as a result, much of the electricity being shared will be from renewable and decarbonized sources.

IPTO, Transmission System Operator of Greece, has been providing technical and operational capacity to the project ensuring the successful implementation.

The parties expect formal clearance of the Greek and Cypriot energy regulators to intervene in due course.

Nexans is pushing the boundaries of its strategy and keeps expanding into new and important markets, as it is the case with Nexans’ recent awards including the 2GW Frame Agreement with TenneT with breakthrough 525 kV offshore cable technology and the Celtic Interconnector connecting France and Ireland. The Group is leading the way in connecting parts of the world with the highest renewable energy potential to locations with the greatest demand for electricity. From energy generation and transmission to distribution and usage, Nexans’ solutions cover the full electrification value chain to connect the world’s renewable energy sources and ensure electricity can be delivered to all corners of the world securely, reliably and efficiently.

• Nexans awarded frame agreement by TenneT for turnkey high voltage direct current projects for offshore wind farms.
• The agreement includes an initial commitment for three grid connection projects of an initial value of 1.7bn EUR for cables and installation only.
• These projects will contribute to the acceleration of Germany’s energy transition and further increase energy security in Europe; they will be operational between 2029 and 2031.
• Nexans, through its innovative 525 kV subsea cable system, will provide a total of 6 GW of energy from the North Sea to Germany.

Nexans, a leader in the design and manufacturing of cable systems and services, has been awarded a frame agreement by TenneT, the Transmission System Operator (TSO) for the Netherlands and a significant part of Germany.

Under this frame, Nexans will be responsible for three grid projects, connecting the future offshore wind farms BalWin 3, LanWin 4, LanWin 2, in the German North Sea to main land. The initial value is 1.7bn EUR, with major subcontracted works to be added once the project-specific call-offs are signed.

Nexans will be responsible for the full Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation – including civil works (EPCI) of over 2,160 km of subsea and land cables.

In 2022, Nexans made a major step forward with the successful development and testing of the first 525 kV DC cable with key features to enable a substantial increase in transmission capacity. The awarded projects are the first in which the Nexans group is deploying its breakthrough 525 kV offshore cable technology, specifically designed to support the energy transition. The subsea cables will be manufactured at Nexans’ flagship factory in Halden, Norway.

After the successful completion of the DolWin 6 project and the award of the BorWin 6 project in 2022, the frame agreement continues Nexans’ long-term partnership with TenneT, contributing to the acceleration of Germany’s energy transition. It confirms that Nexans is a reliable partner to support the energy transition and reduce net GHG emissions to meet the carbon neutrality targets set at COP21.

Nexans’ commitment to sustainability, focus on electrification, development of innovative technologies dedicated to HVDC projects, and investments in new production capacity, vessels and subsea cable protection tools, position the Group as a major player of the energy transition.

• In the context of the overhead power line burial project headed up by Swissgrid, Nexans will be supplying and installing nearly 30 km of 220kV underground cable along the Geneva-Cointrin airport.
• Nexans will also be in charge of dismantling the existing gas-insulated extra high voltage link (GIL), along with a certain number of civil works.
• Nexans’ system will feature a cable temperature monitoring solution.

Swissgrid, the national company in charge of Switzerland’s electricity transmission grid, has chosen Nexans through a bidding process for the project of burying the Very High Voltage (VHV) overhead power lines along the southern side of the Geneva-Cointrin airport. The replacement of the overhead cables with underground cables will free up large tracts of land destined for urban development of the greater Geneva area.

Nexans was chosen for this €25 million turnkey contract for its ability to produce and install very high voltage cables and offer engineering services, as well as for its experience managing complex projects.

The Swissgrid project is part of the “Axe Stratégique Réseau” development programs in the canton of Geneva and the Federal Roads Office’s “Redevelopment of the Grand-Saconnex motorway junction”. In the overhead power line burial project, exceptional by its complex nature, both technical and organizational, Nexans will be in charge of certain engineering services, and of taking down and replacing gas isolated links. In addition to producing and installing nearly 30 km of very high voltage cables between the electrical stations of Foretaille and Renfile, Nexans will also install two 144-strand fibre optic links and embed a temperature monitoring feature in the cable system.

As a leader on the very high voltage market in Switzerland, Nexans has already successfully led several urban projects in Basel, Lausanne, Geneva, Bern, and Zurich. Nexans Switzerland has also been entrusted with complex very high voltage cable connection projects, such as the connection of the Nant de Drance (2018) and Linth-Limmern (2016) pumped storage power plants to the national grid and the underground cable connection of La Bâtiaz – Le Verney (2022).

• Nexans has been awarded the contract for PacWave South, the United States’ first grid-connected wave energy test facility.
• PacWave is a joint venture between the US Department of Energy, the State of Oregon, and Oregon State University and will facilitate the research of innovative renewable technologies.
• RT Casey LLC has selected Nexans for the design, engineering and manufacturing of the 36kV submarine and terrestrial cables that will run across the ocean floor.
• This major project is a significant step in the American sustainable energy transition and will further solidify Nexans’ position as a pure player in sustainable electrification.

Nexans, a global organization and key driver for the world’s transition to a more connected and sustainable future, has been awarded the contract for PacWave South, the United States’ first grid-connected wave energy test facility developed jointly by the US Department of Energy, the State of Oregon, and Oregon State University.

PacWave South consists of four berths that capture the energy generated from the movement of waves and each berth will produce up to 5MW of energy. RT Casey LLC has selected Nexans to provide the four medium voltage AC (MVAC) cables that bring the energy from the berths to shore. The cable lengths total 80km or roughly 20km per cable. This project serves as a pilot to test an alternative form of energy generation that is renewable and minimally invasive to the environment.

Expected to be built and energized by 2024, this project is an important milestone in Nexans’ strategy of becoming an organization dedicated to innovation and sustainable electrification. Nexans’ Generation and Transmission business is now present in all the generation of energy from the ocean including offshore wind, floating wind, floating solar and now wave energy. The Group continues to implement this strategy by working on projects like the PacWave South facility, demonstrating its expertise and strengthening its position as a leader and an electrification pure player.

Nexans has been awarded the contract for the Celtic Interconnector developed jointly by the Irish and French Transmission System Operators (EirGrid and RTE – Réseau de Transport d’Electricité). This 700 MW capacity project is the world longest XLPE interconnector to be built and the first subsea link for direct electricity exchange between France and Ireland.

The Celtic Interconnector is recognized as a project of common interest (PCI) by the European Union. It will allow the exchange of electricity between Ireland and France, supplying power to approximately 450,000 homes, and is key in developing an integrated energy system in Europe. Such a system will speed up the European energy transition by fostering the development of renewable energy resources. The project will further help the European Union achieve its energy policy and climate objectives of affordable, secure and sustainable energy for all.

The interconnection between France and Ireland will use HVDC 320 kV technology. It includes 500km subsea cable route, 40km underground route in France (Brittany), 35km underground route in Ireland (Cork County). The 400 kV HVAC 10km connection to the Irish grid is also part of the project awarded to Nexans.

The cables will be produced in Nexans’ state-of-the-art facilities. The 1,000km of subsea cables will be manufactured in Halden (Norway) and the 180km underground cables will be manufactured in Charleroi (Belgium). Accessories will be manufactured in Cortaillod (Switzerland). Proven project delivery model along with the newly built Nexans Aurora Cable Laying Vessel and key subcontractors will ensure the highest installation and protection delivery standards. The project includes the innovative bundle lay of the two HVDC power cables along with full data capacity repeated fiber optic system.

Expected to be built and energized by 2026, this major project is an important milestone in Nexans’ goal of becoming a pure electrification player. The Group keeps implementing this strategy by working on projects like the Celtic Interconnector, demonstrating its expertise and strengthening its position as a leader and an electrification pure player.