AMSC, a global energy solutions provider serving wind and power grid industry leaders, and Nexans, a worldwide expert in the cable industry, today announced a partnership to market and sell AMSC’s Resilient Electric Grid (REG) system, as well as other high-performance superconductor power cables, in the US and Canada.
As part of this partnership, AMSC and Nexans will collaborate to jointly develop and deliver these projects with existing and potential electric utility customers in the US and Canada.
"We are pleased to be expanding our relationship with Nexans. Nexans is a valued partner and leading provider of utility power cables, that is committed to building advanced power transmission and distribution networks utilizing HTS superconductor technology," said AMSC president and CEO Daniel P McGahn.
"We believe Nexans’ expertise in state-of-the-art power transmission and distribution cable systems, along with the combined strengths and assets of both companies, will support commercial projects for REG systems and high-temperature superconductor (HTS) power cables. We see particular value being offered to our electric utility customers to help address the commercial complexities of a REG system order."
"We are proud to partner with AMSC in order to strengthen our offer of superconductor solutions for complex urban power transmission and distribution challenges in the North American utilities market," said Dr Dirk Steinbrink, Nexans High Voltage & Underwater Cable Business Group senior executive vice-president.
"We believe targeting this market opportunity with a collaborative approach will be incrementally productive to both companies."
AMSC’s REG system is an innovative approach to the power distribution system that increases reliability and capacity of the electric grid. By enabling the use of transmission and distribution assets in a way that is not feasible with traditional technologies, the REG system enables significant increases in grid reliability and increases load-serving capacity, while limiting the need for additional grid infrastructure, which mitigates any environmental impact. The key component to the REG system is AMSC’s breakthrough Amperium® wire that combines with other subsystem design elements to increase the reliability, redundancy, and resiliency of urban power grids, greatly reducing the impact of equipment failure due to aging, cyber threats, physical disasters, or weather-related events.
AMSC’s Amperium superconductor wire is able to conduct approximately 200 times the electrical current of copper wire of similar dimensions. This capability also allows for the delivery of a high-performance power cable system that can address transmission and distribution challenges facing utilities worldwide.