An HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) cable consists of a conductor and an insulator for transmitting electricity over long distances with minimum power loss. HVDC cables mostly use voltages ranging from 100-800 kV and help supply energy to O&G facilities, Offshore wind farms and other platforms such as FPSO located in or near the ocean.

The history of HVDC cables goes back to 1954 with the world’s first HVDC link connecting the island of Gotland to the Swedish mainland by a 100-km HVDC cable.

The viability of HVDC cable systems for crossing large water bodies, long-distance transmission lines, and power transfer between asynchronous networks makes them ideal for a variety of applications compared to traditional cables. Using HVDC cables, power can also be transferred across grid systems operating at different frequencies (such as 50 Hz and 60 Hz).

Apart from the economical and environmental benefits, HVDC cable transmissions offer various technical advantages, including:

• Enhanced reliability
• Improved system stability
• Lower losses

Continue reading to learn more about the major HVDC cable companies in the world.

Global Top 7 HVDC Cable Manufacturers [2024]

Here are the world’s leading HVDC cable manufacturers (listed alphabetically) :

Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.

Founded: 1884

Location: Chiyoda City, Tokyo, Japan

Founded by Ichibei Furukawa, Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. is a well-established Japanese electric and electronics equipment company. Furukawa Electric draws on more than a century of expertise in the development and fabrication of advanced materials to build a sustainable society based on continuous technological innovation.

Furukawa Electric provides a comprehensive range of products for a wide variety of applications, including:

• Appliances/Lighting
• Construction
• Disaster prevention/Safety
• Environment/Energy conservation
• Industrial equipment/Robots
• Medical/Bio
• PCs and small electronics
• Power grids
• Resource development
• Semiconductors
• Telecommunications
• Transportation

Furukawa Electric’s “Power Cable” portfolio includes:

• Construction Wire & Cable/ECO Electric Wire & Cable
• Distribution Cable
• Extra High Voltage Underground Power Transmission Cable
• Industrial Wire & Cable/Electric Equipment Wire & Cable
• Power Cable for wind power generation/photovoltaic generation
• Submarine Power Cable
• Superconducting Cable

Furukawa provides quality cable products for stable power transmission. In 2019, Furukawa Electric was awarded a contract by UK’s Carbon Trust for design, initial testing and development of a high voltage dynamic export submarine cable for floating offshore wind power plants. 

In June 2024, Furukawa Electric signed a memorandum of understanding with Tokyo Century and SEKIKAIJI to provide spare submarine cables and repair barges in anticipation of the expansion of offshore wind projects in Japan.

LS Cable & System

Founded: 1962

Location: Anyang-si, South Korea

Founded as “Korea Cable Industry,” LS Cable & System (LS C&S) is one of the world’s biggest cable manufacturers and a subsidiary of the LS Group (a South Korean conglomerate).

Power transmission from offshore wind power generation hubs to the mainland and ultra-long-distance grid connections between countries are leading to the increasing demand for DC submarine cables.

Furthermore, HVDC submarine cables are suitable for low attenuation power transmission. With the capability to produce DC XLPE (extruded cross-linked polyethylene) and DC MIND (mass-impregnated non-draining) cables, LS C&S delivers quality submarine cables built on reliable technology and known for easy operation and maintenance.

According to LS C&S, the company is “the first Korean company to develop and implement an HVDC 250 kV MI submarine cable system.”

LS C&S’s product portfolio includes but not limited to the following:

Energy

• Extra-high voltage cables
• Submarine cables
• Distribution cables

Industry Cables

• Industrial specialty cables
• Industrial devices cables
• Automobile cables

Telecommunication

• Optical cables

LS C&S is among a handful of companies reported to be successful in developing XLPE cables that are increasingly gaining significance in the renewable industries of Europe and North America.

In 2024, South Korea-based offshore wind cable manufacturer has decided to build a manufacturing facility for HVDC subsea cables in Virginia, which the company says will be the largest factory of this kind in the United States.

Nexans Group

Founded: 1994

Location: Courbevoie, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Founded by Christopher Guerin, Nexans operates under three segments—Energy, Electrical Wires, and Telecom—and has six major product lines. Nexans provides copper and fiber optic cables and cabling systems to the building, energy infrastructure, industry, and LAN (Local Area Network) markets.

Nexans’ areas of expertise include but not limited to the following:

• Subsea interconnection
• Subsea telecom networks
• Land interconnection

Nexans provides a full range of innovative transmission solutions and services to cater to the growing electricity demand while minimizing the total cost of ownership.

With the high-voltage interconnection market (subsea and land) expected to grow by 14.13% annually, there is a growing requirement for long-distance HVDC subsea interconnectors.

Here are a couple of Nexans’ significant accomplishments in the HVDC industry:

• 720 km – the world’s longest HVDC 525 kV interconnector (NSL project)
• 1,500 m – Nexans’ deepest underwater HVDC interconnector (Cometa project)

In addition, Nexans offers a complete range of customized and standardized accessories for low-, medium-, and high-voltage power networks. As a leading specialized innovator, manufacturer, and distributor of power accessories, Nexans connects all types of power cables for all conductor types and sizes and for high, medium, and low voltage.

In September 2024, the French manufacturer announced a EUR 90 million investment to build new and upgrade existing facilities to support the growth of offshore wind in Europe.

NKT A/S

Founded: 1891

Location: Brøndby, Denmark

NKT A/S (NKT) is a major cable and cable accessories supplier to the energy sector. The company specializes in designing, manufacturing, and installing low-, medium-, and high-voltage power cable solutions.

NKT is credited with laying the pioneering HVDC transmission cable system between Västervik and Ygne as part of the project on connecting the island of Gotland to the Swedish mainland by a submarine cable system.

NKT provides the following, among other products and solutions:

• High Voltage Cable Solutions
• High Voltage Onshore Cables (including High Voltage Onshore AC Cables, Onshore DC Cables, and City Cables)
• High Voltage Offshore Cables (including High Voltage Offshore AC Cables, Offshore DC Cables, and Dynamic Cables)
• High Voltage Cable Accessories (including cable joints and outdoor terminations)

NKT’s intensive R&D in HVDC transmission technology led to the development of the 640 kV extruded HVDC cable systems—stated to be the “world’s most powerful underground power transmission cable system.”

The cable system enables efficient transmission of renewable energy and also facilitates international energy trading to transmit green power to millions of households.

According to a press release, NKT entered into an agreement to use low-carbon copper for the 320 kV HVDC cables delivered by NKT to the Dogger Bank C in the North Sea—the third phase of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which is stated to be “the world’s largest offshore wind farm.”

In March 2024, the Danish cable manufacturer secured a contract from German transmission system operator (TSO) Amprion to supply high-voltage alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) onshore power cable systems. Also, the company is investing EUR 100 million (USD 108.77 million) in its Cologne facility to increase capacity gradually by 2027.

Prysmian S.p.A.

Founded: 1879

Location: Milan, Italy

Prysmian Group is a world-renowned company in the energy and telecom cable systems industry with a diversified business portfolio and 150 years of experience.

Operating in over 50 countries, the Group manufactures thousands of miles of submarine and underground cables and systems for power T&D, as well as medium- and low-voltage cables for the construction and infrastructure sectors.

Additionally, Prysmian Group produces a wide range of connectivity systems, copper cables, and optical fiber cables for data, video, and voice transmission for the telecommunications sector.

Over the years, Prysmian Group has undertaken a comprehensive HVDC development program of stringent testing and extensive trials.

The Group introduced two 525 kV extruded land cable systems—one qualified with P-Laser and another with XLPE insulation.

The P-Laser qualified cable system uses a Prysmian in-house developed material called “HPTE” (High Performance Thermoplastic Elastomer) with proven improved characteristics for HVDC transmission lines at the highest voltage levels. On the other hand, the XLPE qualified cable system uses a new insulation compound tailored to HVDC application.

Prysmian Group was also awarded the SOO Green HVDC Link project as the preferred supplier of HVDC cable systems for the first-of-its-kind transmission project considered to be the first link in building a U.S. clean energy grid.

In August 2024, the company announced the successful completion of the sea trial tests for ultra-deep installation of a 500 kV HVDC MI1 cable at 2,150 m water depth. This is an industry record breaking installation, as it is the first time an HVDC cable is laid at such a depth, setting new market standards.

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.

Founded: 1897

Location: Ch??-ku, Osaka, Japan

With over 120 years of history, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (Sumitomo Electric or SEI) is a globally recognized electric wire and power cable manufacturer with more than 350 subsidiaries worldwide.

As the leading manufacturer of O/H (overhead) conductors and HV cables up to 800 kV, SEI can design any overhead conductor, power cable system, and accessories based on proven manufacturing expertise and innovative R&D activities.

The company has extensive business operations in the following industries:

• Automotive
• Infocommunications
• Electronics
• Energy and Environment
• Industrial Materials

SEI’s product portfolio includes:

• HVDC Cable
• HVAC Cable
• Power Cable Accessories
• Power Cable Monitoring System
• Overhead Conductor
• Dynamic Line Rating System

According to SEI, the company commissioned “the world’s first long-distance 500 kV AC XLPE cable system” (2000) and successfully commercialized “the world’s first 250 kV HVDC XLPE cable system in Hokkaido-Honshu Link (2009).”

From pioneering the first HVDC cable system in 1979, SEI has completed a large number of HVDC cable projects, especially the 500 kV HVDC submarine cables installed across Japan’s Kii Channel—one of the world’s highest-capacity HVDC cable systems with 2,800 MW transmission capacity.

SEI has also developed and commercialized 500 kV MI (Mass Impregnated) and 400 kV XLPE cable systems for HVDC applications. SEI’s HVDC XLPE cable enables polarity reversal operations and also significantly higher operational conductor temperature (compared to MI cables).

The HVDC XLPE cable systems provide various benefits, such as reduced CAPEX and increased operational margins, and meet diverse requirements of customers.

In 2024, the japanese company announced that it has received the contract for the 250-kV DC XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene) cable construction, a pivotal part of the Hokuto-Imabetsu HVDC Link Enhancement Project being implemented by Hokkaido Electric Power Network, Inc.

ZTT International

Founded: 1992

Location: Nantong, China

ZTT International or ZTT (known by the full name “Jiangsu Zhongtian Technology Co., Ltd.”) is a globally leading cable and wire manufacturer reputed to be the “first special optical fiber cable company listed in China.”

Listed among the Top 500 Chinese enterprises, ZTT is one of the largest advanced manufacturing enterprises in China.

ZTT products are used by telecom operators, as well as power grid, O&G, and the renewable green energy sectors worldwide. The company has a strong track record of working on various projects, including an HVDC interconnector project for offshore wind farm development.

ZTT can produce up to ±320kV of HVDC submarine power cable based on XLPE insulation and used on a VSC (Voltage Source Converter) system. In addition, ZTT has the capability to manufacture HVDC submarine cables with an annual capacity of 1000 km.

As ZTT is equipped with state-of-the-art VCV (Vertical Continuous Vulcanization) lines, vertical assembly lines with big carousels, and several outdoor storage carousels for completed cables, it can manufacture long HVDC submarine cables without factory splices.

Furthermore, ZTT group’s subsidiary—Zhongtian Technology Submarine Cable Co., Ltd.—has an HVDC competence test center to design the cable and perform full analysis to the highest standards.

Conclusion

HVDC cables carry energy over long distances and connect power networks across countries and continents while minimizing power loss. Moreover, the adaptability of HVDC cables to difficult terrain makes it easy to operate and maintain land-based transmission grids.

Growing wind farms along with power station and transmission line upgrades have had a major impact on the HVDC cable consumption rate in countries like Germany, which is investing heavily in HVDC projects and collaborating with industry players to meet the country’s electrical needs.

HVDC cable manufacturers are not only catering to the ever-growing demand for electricity but also enabling the transition toward cleaner energy provided by renewable energy sources. Industry leading high voltage cable manufacturers are Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd., LS Cable & System, Nexans Group, NKT A/S, Prysmian S.p.A., Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. and ZTT International.

Unlock Insights with the Global HVDC Cables Market Report

Blackridge Research & Consulting’s Global HVDC Cables Market report provides a comprehensive analysis of the market by segmentation based on the following:

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