Innovation

R&D to promote sustainable electrification

Nexans Calais EHV Laboratory

Pursuing our ambition to become a pure player in sustainable electrification, we invested nearly 20 million euros in 2022 in AmpaCity, our R&D center in Lyon. At this 6,000 m2 site, some one hundred engineers, researchers and technicians are working on the low-carbon electricity of the future.

To electrify tomorrow’s world, our R&D projects focus on four key goals:

  • Supply power for the world.
  • Ensure grid reliability and prevent blackouts.
  • Limit environmental impact.
  • Deliver competitive, optimized solutions.
R&D at Nexans AmpaCity

Our experts are working on a range of subjects, including superconductivity, digitalized electrical installations, building safety, the fire performance of materials, and the implementation of smart grids.

Innovation is part of who we are and what we do. Through innovation and expertise, we are able to deliver a practical response to the challenges of the energy transition and to reduce the carbon impact of our products over their entire life cycle.

To support our customers in meeting today’s challenges, we are dedicating our innovation capabilities to the goal of sustainable electrification, while also addressing safety and reliability concerns with innovative solutions. We are constantly developing new products, services and solutions with a view to cutting costs, optimizing the total cost of ownership and minimizing environmental impact. Through innovation, we are also able to develop premium products tailored to the specific needs of our customers.

In our factories and at our sites, we manufacture the products underpinning our success, and test the many innovations developed by our research centers. We are a flagship of French industry, with 70 plants and sites worldwide, of which 55 are dedicated to electrification.

Nexans AmpaCity
image de fond logo nexans

AmpaCity
Global innovation hub for decarbonized electrification and DC microgrids

AmpaCity is Nexansโ€™ global innovation hub dedicated to decarbonized electrification, spanning 4,500 mยฒ of advanced laboratories. The site brings together nearly 100 international experts representing eight nationalities, covering expertise in electrical insulation performance, low-environmental-impact materials, fire-resistant cable systems, digital solutions for power network monitoring, and now Direct Current (DC) microgrid technologies.

 

With its transformation into a cutting-edge DC microgrid demonstration site, AmpaCity provides a real-life testing environment to design, validate and showcase next-generation direct current (DC) electrical architectures. The site plays a key role in accelerating innovation in energy efficiency, system resilience and sustainable electrification for buildings, industrial complexes and critical infrastructures such as data centers.

 

At AmpaCity, Nexans is also developing high-performance, sustainable and recyclable materials. This work supports the Groupโ€™s strong commitment to increase overall recycled content in its products to 25% and producing copper rod from 100% recycled material by 2028, while continuously improving material quality, durability and performance. By combining materials science, DC electrification expertise and digital technologies, AmpaCity contributes directly to Nexansโ€™ ambition to drive the global energy transition.

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