Prysmian opens first Extra High Voltage power cable plant in North America

Prysmian has just completed a new Extra High Voltage power cable plant in Abbeville (South Carolina). The facility, in which €32 million has been invested, is the first one of its kind to produce Extra High Voltage power cables in North America, which until now has had to import this technology. The plant consists of a Vertical Continuous Vulcanization (VCV) process housed in a 373 foot tower.

It will give Prysmian an important competitive advantage in the North American high voltage cables and systems market. Significant investments are expected in this sector, also as a result of the U.S. Government’s stimulus programme involving modernization and development of power transmission networks partly to be able to exploit renewable energy sources.

The new plant joins the existing Medium and Low Voltage power cable manufacturing facilities in Abbeville and further reinforces the product range available to Prysmian’s customers which include North America’s major utility companies. In 2008 North America represented 11.8% of the Group’s total sales, with over 800 people employed in four production facilities: two in the U.S. (Abbeville and Lexington, S.C.) and two in Canada (St. Jean, Québec, and Prescott, Ontario).