AMSC, an energy solutions provider serving the wind and power grid industry, and Nexans Deutschland GmbH (CSA CSM), an expert in the cable industry, have announced a partnership to market and sell AMSC’s Resilient Electric Grid (REG) system and other high performance superconductor power cables 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,” says Daniel McGahn, AMSC president and CEO. “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.”

The companies began working together in February 2016 when AMSC chose Nexans to design, fabricate and qualify a medium voltage, high temperature superconducting (HTS) cable for a similar REG project in Chicago.

“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,” says Dr. Dirk Steinbrink, senior executive vice president of the high voltage and underwater cable business group at Nexans. “We believe targeting this market opportunity with a collaborative approach will be incrementally productive to both companies.”

The REG system, according to AMSC, provides 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, thus mitigating any environmental impact.

The key component to the REG system is Amperium®, an AMSC wire that combines with other sub-system 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. It is able to conduct approximately 200 times the electrical current of copper wire of similar dimensions, allowing for the delivery of a high performance power cable system that can address transmission and distribution challenges facing utilities worldwide.