NKT will ship high-voltage energy cable options to RTE to allow its long-term technique to renew, adapt, and develop France’s electrical energy grid. As one in every of Europe’s largest exporters of electrical energy, the improve of France’s grid is crucial for the facility provide of the continent.
RTE, France’s transmission system operator (TSO), has awarded NKT the extension of two framework agreements for the provision of high-voltage energy cable options (Determine 1) from 2026 to 2028. The framework agreements are for onshore energy cables, equipment, and set up at voltage ranges of 90 kV, 225 kV, and 400 kV. The agreements embrace agency commitments of about 1,400 kilometers (km) of energy cable options, which incorporates roughly 900 km of 90-kV energy cables and roughly 500 km of 225-kV energy cables. Venture-based orders are anticipated for future 400-kV energy cables. The deliveries shall be supported from NKT’s websites in Esposende, Portugal, which turned a part of the corporate in June 2024 when NKT acquired SolidAl, and Cologne, Germany.
“We’re excited to proceed the long-term collaboration with RTE as they modernize and strengthen France’s energy grid and assist the transition to renewable vitality. We’ve been working with RTE since 2011 and in 2023 we had been awarded the Biscay Gulf Interconnector between Spain and France. With the acquisition of SolidAl, we improved our geographic attain in new and present markets. We look ahead to constructing upon this success by supporting RTE and France’s grid upgrades within the coming years,” Claes Westerlind, president and CEO at NKT, stated in a press release.
With one of many largest shares of nuclear electrical energy on this planet, and a rising quantity of renewable vitality coming on-line, France’s grid has a really low carbon depth. On the identical time, France is one in every of Europe’s largest exporters of electrical energy, main the cost towards a extra interconnected electrical energy market. As a key companion to England, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, and Italy, RTE performs a central function within the energy grid of Europe. The collaboration permits NKT to be a part of RTE’s technique of adapting to local weather change, renewing and creating the grid to accommodate extra electrical energy generated from renewable vitality, and assist France’s transition to net-zero.
“The electrification, decarbonization, and reindustrialization of France are synonymous with main investments within the electrical energy transmission community over the approaching years. This partnership with NKT not solely permits us to safe the gear wanted to assist the vitality transition, but additionally exhibits the affect that investing on shifting away from fossil energies can have on the French and European manufacturing trade, driving financial development and employment,” stated Xavier Piechaczyk, president of the managing board at RTE.
With the rising demand for medium- and high-voltage energy cables throughout Europe, NKT is increasing its capability throughout a number of websites. This contains investments of €50 million in Esposende and €100 million in Cologne. The extra capability will assist supply of energy cables to RTE, in addition to different TSOs and distribution system operators (DSOs) throughout Europe, making certain a extra trendy, environment friendly, and interconnected energy grid.
—POWER edited this content material, which was contributed by NKT’s communications division.
