Nexans has opened a 53-metre high-voltage tower at its Charleroi facility in Belgium to manufacture 525 kV land cables.
The tower supports the industrialisation of 525 kV high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable systems with copper conductors of up to 3,000 mm2, the company said. It also prepares the site for future high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) systems with aluminium conductors of up to 3,500 mm2.
The tower forms part of a €90m investment programme announced in 2024 to support offshore wind and grid interconnection projects across Europe. The programme also covers upgrades to manufacturing and testing capabilities and increased production capacity for high-voltage technologies.
Nexans said the investment will expand its capacity to produce land cable systems that connect these projects to onshore transmission networks.
Pascal Radue, senior executive vice president PWR-Transmission of Nexans, said: “Every new renewable energy source, interconnector and grid upgrade relies on robust transmission infrastructure. With this investment in Charleroi, Nexans is strengthening its capacity to manufacture advanced high-voltage land cable systems – supporting the onshore transmission networks that connect renewable generation and interconnectors across Europe – and building on the expertise and commitment of our teams.”
Nexans said the Charleroi site has manufactured high-voltage cable for more than a century. It added that the tower strengthens the site’s role in supplying 525 kV products to transmission system operators and major infrastructure projects.
The company also said the site’s access to the Sambre waterway offers multimodal transport links, which it claimed would reduce transport-related CO2 emissions compared with road-only transport.
Julien Hueber, chief executive of Nexans, said: “Building the energy system of tomorrow requires long-term investment in both technology and industrial capacity. With the new tower in Charleroi, Nexans is reinforcing its ability to support Europe’s electrification at scale and its transition towards a more resilient, low-carbon energy future. This is a further milestone in our journey as a pure player in sustainable electrification.”
Image credit: Lisa-S/Shutterstock
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