Oman Cables Industry SAOG, a cable manufacturer based at Al Rusayl Industrial City in Muscat, reports that it will make a substantial investment in its subsidiary, Oman Aluminum Processing Industries SPC (OAPIL), to establish a production facility in Suhar, the capital of Oman.

A press release said that the expansion is aimed at manufacturing advanced composite core conductors. Board Chairman Cinzia Farise said that the project would expand OAPIL’s operational scope as well as increase profitability and diversification for Oman Cables.

Founded in 2008, OAPIL has played a key role in Oman’s aluminum and electrical transmission sectors. The new facility will strengthen the company’s presence in international markets, especially in energy infrastructure sector. Part of Prysmian, Oman Cables Industry (SAOG) has offices in Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and KSA, and an extensive network across the Middle East, Africa, Turkey, Russia and India (MEART) region.

It took eight years, but the ownership of Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN)—the submarine telecom cable production and installation subsidiary of Finnish equipment manufacturer Nokia—has finally been resolved, with the owner being the French government.

A press release said that on Nov. 5, Antoine Armand, the French economy minister, and Marc Ferracci, the French industry minister, signed a contract to acquire 80% of the capital at the company’s plant in Calais. ASN was a subsidiary of Alcatel, then Alcatel-Lucent, until it was acquired by the Finnish group Nokia in 2016. “The proposed sale of ASN to the French State is the result of extensive discussions which concluded that the French State is the most relevant custodian of ASN,” Nokia said, in a statement.

Per a report in Le Monde, the transaction is worth around €100 million, with the state taking on ASN’s €250 million debt. Nokia will retain a 20% interest that can be bought out later.

An on-line report said that Nokia had been seeking to divest ASN since it completed its Alcatel-Lucent purchase in 2016. “At one stage it even looked like Nokia was resigned to hanging on to the company itself. But ultimately, Alcatel Submarine Networks is a strategic asset for the French state and as such the government has decided to put its hand in its pocket, regardless of the distraction of an upcoming election.”

Ducab Metals Business has signed an agreement that will see the company more than double the size of its existing plant in the UAE’s Khalifa Economic Zone.

A press release said that the 50-year lease agreement, signed by Khaled Lootah, chairman of Ducab Group, will result in Ducab Metals Business adding 51,015 sqm to its existing 50,000 sqm facility in KEZAD. The expansion will enable the company to increase its production capacity of copper and aluminum industrial products. This expansion brings Ducab Metals Business’s presence in KEZAD to over 100,000 sqm.

The project will provide new jobs, further the company’s R&D work and enhance Abu Dhabi’s reputation as a hub for the new varieties of advanced metal products.

As a stand-alone company within Ducab Group, DMB is the largest such company in the region. The company has annual capacity of 180,000 metric tons of copper rod and 50,000 metric tons of aluminum rod and overhead conductor capacity. DMB also designs solutions that will be manufactured in Ducab’s existing copper rod and aluminum factories, both of which are based in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Taihan Cable & Solution (Taihan Cable) announced that it has signed an agreement with KG Steel at Hoban Park in Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea, that will provide Taihan Cable with the land it need to build a second submarine cable factory.

Per an on-line report in Korea IT Times, a signing ceremony was held that included Vice Chairman Song Jong-min and President Park Sung-hee of Taihan Cable. They were with management from the parent companies, including Kim Dae-heon, planning president of Hoban Group, and Kwak Jeong-hyun, strategy president of KG Group. The event emphasized both groups’ commitment to strengthening business cooperation and establishing a forward-looking collaboration model. “Through the purchase of convertible bonds, KG Steel will receive 110 billion won (approximately $78.5 million) for the land, reflecting its high valuation of Taihan Cable’s potential growth in the submarine cable sector and the belief that their collaboration will generate future value.”

The acquired site, approximately 215,000 sq m, is located in the Godeok District, Asan National Industrial Complex in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province. It is adjacent to Taihan Cable’s existing first submarine cable factory. This area forms Korea’s largest cable production cluster, close to Taihan Cable’s major production facilities—the Dangjin Cable and Solution Factories. Taihan Cable plans to produce submarine cables, underground cables, and power and communication-related products in this integrated location, maximizing synergy effects.

The new factory will include a VCV tower for producing 620kV class HVDC submarine cables and external network submarine cables. “Furthermore, both companies intend to bolster their collaboration in the North American market, leveraging their years of experience and expertise to explore opportunities for increased exports to the U.S. and joint business ventures.”

Hellenic Cables, the cables segment of Cenergy Holdings, will supply and install approximately 38 km of 150kV submarine and land cables for a Greek project.

A press release said that the turnkey contract is from IPTO (Independent Power Transmission Operator), which is responsible for the operation, monitoring, maintenance, and development of the Hellenic Electricity Transmission System. It calls for 50 kV XLPE underground and submarine cables to enhance the electrical interconnections between Kefalonia-Zakynthos and Lefkada-Kefalonia, the Ionian islands in Greece.

The project is scheduled for completion in 2026. The submarine cables will be manufactured at the Hellenic Cables plant in Corinth, Greece. The capacity of that facility has recently been expanded, and it can manufacture continuous lengths for some of the longest submarine cables. The land cables will be manufactured at the company’s plant in Thiva, Greece, that has also seen a capacity expansion investment program.