Nexans, a global leader in the design and manufacturing of cable systems and energy solutions, today announced the successful conclusion of its 2025 Innovation Summit in Toronto. The event brought together global leaders from energy, policy, finance, and technology to address one of the defining challenges of our time: how to expand and modernize transmission infrastructure to meet surging electricity demand in the era of AI, electrified transport, and digital growth.
The Summit, themed “A New Era of Electrification,” underscored a powerful message: transmission is no longer a technical afterthought – it is the strategic lever of global electrification.
Electrification is accelerating faster than most systems are prepared for. Transmission is no longer just infrastructure – it’s strategy. The organizations that act now to modernize and scale their grids will shape the energy economy of the next decade.
Senior Executive Vice President, Strategic projects and Key accounts, Nexans
As the architect of Tech-Electrification, Nexans is driving the digitalization and intelligence of power systems – connecting innovation, sustainability, and performance to transform transmission networks into resilient, data-driven infrastructures capable of supporting the global energy transition.
Speakers and panelists examined how permitting reform, supply chain readiness, and digital innovation are transforming the grid from a bottleneck into a platform for long-term growth and resilience.
Key themes from the event included:
Nexans today announced an investment to acquire a minority stake in Sensewaves along with American Electric Power (AEP), one of the leading transmission and distribution power utilities in the USA.
Founded in 2015, Sensewaves delivers AI-powered analytics that enhance visibility and situational awareness of the distribution grid. Its flagship platform, Adaptix.Grid, addresses DSOs’ operational challenges across all levels of digital maturity. By combining advanced AI with constraint-based algorithms, Adaptix.Grid provides full visibility into Low Voltage (LV) and Medium Voltage (MV) networks. The platform unifies data from disparate silos to deliver granular insights into connectivity, energy flows, congestion, and power quality. Even in cases of incomplete or low-quality data, Adaptix.Grid can align and validate missing connections, eliminate discrepancies, and reinforce grid clarity. Rapidly deployable and interoperable, it enables operators to optimize processes across the entire grid lifecycle—from planning and design to reliability, operations, and maintenance.
The investment by Nexans and AEP will support Sensewaves’ growth, deployment of Adaptix.Grid, and market expansion, reinforcing its position as a key partner for utilities navigating the dual challenges of managing load growth and integrating renewable generation and electric mobility while ensuring reliability and efficiency. The funds raised will be used to strengthen Sensewaves’ R&D and product development teams, as well as sales and marketing, with the aim of accelerating product innovation and expanding into key strategic geographies.
Furthermore, Nexans’ investment in Sensewaves reflects its dual strategic pivot from a product-centric to a user-centric offering, enriched with Nexans services, systems and software solutions. This will also enable Nexans to focus ever more on the needs of key players in the electrification value chain, such as distribution network operators.
This strategic alliance brings to life Nexans’ strategy to spark Electrification with Tech solutions. By combining our hardware expertise, deep knowledge of grid cables and accessories, advanced reliability solutions, and AI-powered software, we can provide utilities with innovative answers to the challenges of the energy transition and rising global demand. Sensewaves amplifies Nexans’ offering for utilities in grid management, complementing our engineering services, smart cables and accessories, monitoring technologies, and asset management solutions.
Executive VP PWR GRID & Accessories, Nexans
We firmly believe Adaptix.Grid by Sensewaves is a game-changing solution for the energy sector. It addresses utilities’ needs to optimize investments, generate savings, and improve operational efficiency while strengthening grid reliability and resilience. Crucially, it also enables agile integration of renewable energy and electric mobility infrastructure.
Corporate Vice President Innovation Services and Growth, Nexans
We are thrilled by this strategic investment from Nexans and AEP—two leaders with complementary expertise as a technology provider and a grid operator. Their support empowers us to accelerate our shared vision of delivering a truly user-centric platform that meets the urgent needs of today’s grid operators.
Co-founder and CEO, Sensewaves
AEP is always interested in technologies that support our mission of providing safe and reliable service to customers. Through our work with AEP Texas, Sensewaves has delivered accurate situational awareness of grid conditions and asset health. We are pleased to support Sensewaves’ growth and the rollout of Adaptix.Grid to utilities across the U.S.
Head of Strategic Initiatives, AEP
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has provided €250 million in financing to Nexans, a global leader in cable system design, manufacturing and associated services. The loan will back Nexans’ research, development and innovation programmes for 2024-2029, together with some industrial investments.
These investments will cover projects including:
The €250 million financing is structured over two contracts, including a €190 million loan with a guarantee under the InvestEU programme, which backs innovation, sustainability and competitiveness in strategic sectors of the EU economy. This EU support enables the EIB to maximise its commitment to Nexans’ research, development and innovation, together with its industrial and recycling investments. A second, €60 million loan comprises the remainder of the financing.
The operation is also fully in line with the REPowerEU programme, particularly due to the importance of Nexans’ activities in promoting electrification and decarbonisation at all levels from production to end use. This programme aims to strengthen the European Union’s energy autonomy.
Nexans is a key player in the energy transition. Its state-of-the-art power cables are central to the electrification of our societies and industries and are playing a vital role in meeting EU decarbonisation targets. This EIB financing will enable the company to speed up its innovation, develop its production capacities and further secure access to copper, an important raw material. It is for these reasons that the European Union is once again backing Nexans’ investment programme.
Vice President, European Investment Bank (EIB)
This renewed EIB and InvestEU support will enable us to accelerate our industrial and innovation strategy to make Nexans a key player in sustainable electrification in Europe. With this financing, we will be able to further expand our production capacity, bolster copper recycling and innovate even more to back the energy transition and European industrial autonomy.
CEO, Nexans
Terna, the Italian Transmission System Operator, and Nexans, a global leader in the design and manufacturing of cable systems and services, today started, from Fiumetorto, in the municipality of Termini Imerese (PA), the first installation phase of the Tyrrhenian Link’s western section. Once completed, the connection between Sicily (Termini Imerese, Palermo) and Sardinia (Terra Mala, Cagliari) will set a world record for the greatest installation depth of a high-voltage (HVDC) subsea cable, reaching 2,150 meters below sea level and establishing new benchmarks for the electricity transmission.
Terna will invest a total of approximately €3.7 billion in the project, which also includes the eastern section between Sicily and Campania, where installation of the first of the two cables was completed in May.
The start of laying the western branch between Sicily and Sardinia marks a decisive step for the Tyrrhenian Link, as it represents a milestone of historic significance: for the first time, a high-voltage direct current subsea cable will be installed at a depth of up to 2,150 meters, the deepest ever reached by a high-voltage subsea cable. This project confirms Terna’s ability to adopt design and operational solutions capable of addressing and overcoming unprecedented technical and engineering challenges. In line with our Industrial Plan, we are moving forward with the construction of the Tyrrhenian Link, a key infrastructure for the national electricity system that benefits from €500 million in funding under REPowerEU. Last May, we completed the first of two cables between Sicily and Campania, and we have scheduled the conclusion of the laying of the first cable of the western section at the beginning of next year. It is Terna’s responsibility to provide the country with the infrastructure required to achieve the energy transition goals.
CEO and General Manager, Terna
The Tyrrhenian Link is an extraordinary project — not only for its scale and record-breaking installation depth as the first of its kind to be installed, but for the lasting impact it will have on Italy’s energy future. This achievement is made possible by our world-class subsea installation capabilities and decades of experience delivering complex high-voltage projects worldwide.
Executive Vice President, PWR- Transmission, Nexans
From a technical standpoint, the infrastructure consists of two 500 kV high-voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea cables, totaling approximately 970 km in length, with a transmission capacity of 1,000 MW. Specifically, the laying of the first connection of the western section will be carried out by Nexans in two phases: the first, 200 km long, will be completed in September 2025; the second, around 280 km, will begin in December 2025.
The connection between Sicily and Sardinia, approved in September 2023 by the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, will stretch for 480 km between the Fiumetorto landing point (PA) and the Terra Mala landing point (CA). The converter stations will be built in Selargius (CA) – from which an underground cable of approximately 30 km will run to the coastal landing — and in Contrada Caracoli, in the municipality of Termini Imerese (PA), connected to the marine landing point via a roughly 7 km underground route.
In addition to its strategic and technological value, Tyrrhenian Link stands out for its focus on environmental sustainability. In both islands involved in the project, activities have been launched to uproot and replant olive trees located in the areas designated for future converter stations. Moreover, Terna has undertaken measures to protect marine ecosystems at the cable landing points, carrying out transplantation of Posidonia oceanica in Sardinia and Cymodocea nodosa in Sicily, selecting the most suitable areas to promote plant rooting.
Thanks to its transmission capacity, the project will make a significant contribution to achieving the decarbonization targets set out in Italy’s Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan. The high-voltage subsea cable, essential for the security of both the Italian and European electricity grids, will connect the three regions involved, increase exchange capacity, and enhance the capacity and flexibility of the national transmission grid.
Nexans has reached a major milestone in its sustainability journey by developing a prototype cable made entirely from recycled materials — a first in the company’s history. This innovation combines technical performance, industrial feasibility, and a drastically reduced environmental footprint, marking a decisive step forward in circular economy.
The prototype has been conceived thanks to the efforts of worldwide Nexans’s technical teams. The wire drawing was carried out by our Nexans teams in Yanggu, China. The materials department was responsible for extruding the prototype in France and the assembly of the 3G2.5 was then carried out by the Technocenter Building laboratory in AmpaCity, Lyon.
The record prototype includes 100% recycled copper, sourced from a trusted partner in China, along with recycled polyethylene and PVC from Nexans’ European suppliers.
The prototype – nicknamed the “record cable” – was compared to a standard cable of the same category made with virgin materials. The analysis covered the entire life cycle from raw material extraction to cable use. The results:
This innovation demonstrates the technical feasibility of incorporating 100% recycled materials while maintaining the same level of quality and safety as a cable made from virgin materials.
This prototype shows that industrial innovation and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand. It’s a major step toward a more sustainable electrification.
Corporate Vice President of Innovation, Nexans
This innovation supports Nexans ambition to integrate 25% of recycled copper into its cable production by 2028. It’s a bold example of the Group commitment to a circular economy, which plays a central role in its sustainability roadmap. By rethinking the entire cable lifecycle – from materials to manufacturing – Nexans is reducing its carbon footprint and helping preserve natural resources, without compromising quality or safety.
At a time when digital infrastructures and sustainability challenges are reshaping the global energy landscape, Nexans is investing to meet tomorrow’s critical demands. Today, Nexans inaugurates Stella Nova, its new Center of Excellnce located in Hanover, Germany. On this occasion, the Group also unveils a world-first demonstration: a test bench showcasing the benefits of superconducting cables for powering data centers using low-voltage alternating current (LV AC) and direct current (LV DC).
Located on the Panattoni Campus in Hanover, Nexans Stella Nova brings together more than 70 experts in engineering, research, and manufacturing. The new site spans 9,000 m² and is dedicated to three strategic domains:
As global electricity consumption by data centers could reach 10% of total energy demand by 2030, Nexans is innovating to meet the critical challenges of capacity, efficiency, and sustainability. Superconducting cable systems enable the transmission of up to 10 times more power compared to conventional cables, with zero energy loss, minimal heat generation, and significantly reduced infrastructure footprint. Great opportunities lie ahead with regards potential applications of superconducting technology. Nexans is already involved in multiple projects aiming at developing superconducting solutions beyond the data center industry.
With Stella Nova and this world-first demonstration, Nexans is addressing one of the critical challenges of tomorrow: ensuring the sustainable electrification of an increasingly digital world. Superconductivity offers a breakthrough solution to meet the massive power needs of next-generation data centers, while reducing their environmental footprint and accelerating the energy transition.
Corporate VP Director of Innovation, Nexans
The industrialization of superconductivity is revolutionizing the path toward a more efficient and modern energy grid. With its advancing technology readiness and ongoing breakthroughs, superconductivity serves as a powerful catalyst for accelerating the energy transition and achieving Net-Zero.
Director of Acceleration Units, Nexans
For over 30 years, Nexans has been at the forefront of superconducting and cryogenic systems. This leadership will be further strengthened by the establishment of a new testing facility: this state-of-the-art high-voltage laboratory is designed for testing conventional and superconducting cables, superconducting current limiters and components, as well as providing a high current test field for superconducting tapes and components.
The inauguration of Stella Nova also marks the celebration of 125 years of Nexans’ industrial history. As a pioneer in electrification since 1900, Nexans today plays a central role in enabling the transition to renewable energies, supporting the decarbonization of infrastructures, and building a more connected, resilient, and sustainable world.
Nexans Annual Shareholders’ Meeting, held today in Paris, approved all 27 resolutions agreed by the Board of Directors. The voting results are available on the Nexans website. The Shareholders’ Meeting was broadcast live in French and English, and a replay will be available shortly on this same website.
The shareholders adopted all the resolutions submitted, and thus approved:
Following the Shareholder Meeting, the Board of Directors is comprised of thirteen members, of whom 60% are Independent Directors and 54% are women.
Nexans, in partnership with Swissgrid, Switzerland’s national grid operator, will install a high-voltage line in the Saint-Gotthard Road tunnel.
The Saint-Gotthard Road tunnel’s second tube will feature a first: by 2030, it will house an 18 km long high-voltage line, which will replace the existing overhead line across the pass. This new connection will play a critical role in electricity transmission along Switzerland’s north–south corridor.
The 220 kV high-voltage line is a pioneering project. It marks a first of major significance in Europe: using a road tunnel for cable installation. On behalf of the federal government, Swissgrid evaluates every grid project to determine whether synergies with other infrastructure—such as rail or road tunnels—can be leveraged. Combining infrastructures often contributes to landscape preservation and more efficient land use. Nexans will supply a total of 57 km of extra-high voltage cable for this operation, working with its bases in Charleroi (Belgium), which will manufacture the cable, and in Cortaillod (Switzerland), which will handle the project engineering and installation as well as supply accessories. The preparatory phase is set to unfold from 2025 to 2028, and works are due to start in 2028 and be completed in 2030.
Nexans relied on a longstanding partnership with Swissgrid, as well as the success of several previous projects. This experience has enabled the company to acquire in-depth knowledge of the Swiss market, along with a reputation for excellence in reliability and installation solutions. Valued at approximately €50 million, this project represents the largest contract ever signed by Nexans Switzerland, making it a historic milestone for the company.
This project illustrates our aim to remain a top-tier partner for Swissgrid, leveraging our ability to devise novel and dependable cable-laying solutions in complex environments. It also reflects our commitment to supporting the energy transition while playing an active part in protecting landscapes.
CEO PWR-Grid Central Europe, Nexans
Once the new line is operational, the overhead cables crossing the Gotthard Pass will be dismantled. However, four pylons near the summit will remain active but be reduced in size, to continue supporting a high-voltage connection for Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). The dismantling operation will contribute to reducing environmental and landscape impact in this sensitive natural area.
Nexans, a global leader in the design and manufacturing of cable systems and energy solutions, today announced that it will host its Innovation Summit 2025 on October 9, 2025, in Toronto, Canada. The event will bring together the brightest minds in the fields of energy, sustainability, and technology to discuss and address the challenges surrounding the electrification of the future.
The theme of the summit, “A New Era of Electrification,” will focus on the urgent call to expand grid capacity in an effort to meet growing demand while reducing carbon emissions and environmental impact. Keynote speakers and panel discussions will explore a wide range of timely topics, including:
In partnership with Electro Federation Canada (EFC), the France Canada Chamber of Commerce (ON, MB) and Habitat for Humanity Canada, the event will also focus on Nexans’ sustainability goals commitment, providing insights on the company’s path forward and the role it plays in shaping North America’s electrification future.
At the heart of our discussions lies a powerful conviction: sustainable electrification demands audacious investment in innovators and scalable solutions. To shape an electrified future that respects our planet, we must urgently accelerate the deployment of technologies and empower the talent capable of fundamentally redefining how electricity is generated, distributed, and consumed.
CEO , Nexans
The event will also be led and concluded with proactive initiatives that reflect Nexans’ commitment to innovation and community impact. Leading up to the summit, the Nexans Innovation Challenge will engage university students to develop bold solutions in grid modernization, renewable energy, and smart city technologies, with winners being selected at the event. Following the summit a community initiative in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Canada, will underscore Nexans’ dedication to giving back, highlighting the importance of aligning technological advancement with local engagement.
The Nexans Innovation Summit 2025 represents a decisive step forward in our mission to responsibly electrify the world. The challenge of expanding grid capacity sustainably while respecting our environmental commitments requires collective ingenuity, collaboration, and bold action. Nexans is dedicated to mobilizing the brightest minds to drive the transformative solutions our future demands.
CEO , Nexans
To learn more about the event, visit: Nexans Innovation Summit 2025 – Nexans
Nexans, a global leader in the design and manufacturing of cable systems and services, specializing in the offshore wind market and subsea interconnectors, has been awarded a significant contract by Interconnect Malta (ICM) to deliver the second Malta-Sicily interconnector. This new high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) link will reinforce Malta’s electricity system, ensuring a stable and resilient energy supply. The cables for this project will be produced at Nexans’ facility in Charleston, USA. It also reinforces Nexans’ longstanding commitment to supporting Malta’s energy independence and economic development.
The 225 MW interconnector will operate at 220 kV and consists of subsea cable linking Maghtab, Malta, and Ragusa, Sicily. It will be installed in parallel with the existing interconnector, previously delivered by Nexans in 2015.
As part of Malta’s national energy strategy, the project will increase security of supply, integrate more renewable energy sources, and support the country’s 2030 climate and energy targets. By strengthening Malta’s connection to the European grid, it will improve grid stability and foster economic growth through a more reliable power supply.
We are proud to contribute to Malta’s energy infrastructure. Delivering this second interconnector strengthens the energy link between Malta and Sicily, ensuring long-term stability for the country’s electricity supply. Building on our longstanding partnership with Interconnect Malta, this project also plays a key role in supporting the country’s transition toward a climate-neutral economy and enabling further investment in renewable energy.
EVP Power Transmission Business Group, Nexans
This interconnector is a key milestone for Malta’s electricity network. By adding a second connection, we are increasing security of supply, increasing grid resilience, and ensuring that Malta has access to reliable and efficient power transmission for years to come. We are pleased to partner with Nexans once again on this project.
CEO, Interconnect Malta (ICM)
With this project, Nexans continues to reinforce its role as a key partner in power transmission, delivering high-quality, high-performance cable solutions and innovative technology for critical energy infrastructure worldwide.
