ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, will invest over $ 400 million to double the capacity of its high-voltage cables manufacturing facility in Karlskrona, Sweden, to meet growing demand for subsea cables.

The investment plan includes construction of new buildings and installation of additional manufacturing lines at the existing plant. The expansion will be carried out in a phased manner and is expected to be completed by 2015.

“This investment will help us to boost production capacity and meet the growing demand for high-voltage subsea power cables,” said Peter Leupp, head of ABB’s Power Systems division. “Subsea cables play an integral part in the efficient and reliable transmission of electricity for a range of applications such as interconnectors between countries, offshore wind connections and power supply to oil and gas platforms.”

This move follows an investment of about $90 million announced last year to build a new cable factory in the US for land cables used in alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) applications. A major upgrade of ABB’s Karlskrona facility has already been completed earlier this year. The new investment will further strengthen ABB’s leading position in the high-voltage cables market.

ABB has been manufacturing cables for more than a 100 years and is a leading global supplier of high voltage, energy-efficient transmission cables. The company’s offering includes XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene) insulated cables for AC transmission as well as mass-impregnated paper-insulated cables and polymeric insulated cables for HVDC, HVDC Light® and other high-voltage power transmission applications.

Since the 1950s, when it delivered the world’s first commercial HVDC power link, ABB has been a pioneer of power transmission technologies. The company developed HVDC Light in the 1990s, delivered the world’s longest underwater power link in 2008, and more recently connected the world’s most remote offshore wind farm. As part of the turnkey DolWin 1 and DolWin 2 offshore wind connection projects, ABB will supply 320 kV cable systems – the highest voltage level for HVDC (high-voltage direct current) transmission with extruded cables.

ABB is uniquely positioned in the industry, with manufacturing capability for semiconductors, converters and cables – all key components for HVDC transmission systems.

ABB is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 130,000 people.

Subsea World News Staff , December 08, 2011; Image: ABB