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Nexans starts LanWin2 cable production; offshore grid commissioning remains expected in 2031

Nexans and TenneT announced October 16 that subsea cable production has started for the LanWin2 offshore grid connection at Nexans' Halden facility in Norway. Nexans describes the milestone as the first industrial-scale production of its 525 kV HVDC XLPE subsea cable technology. This is a manufacturing and delivery milestone, not an announcement that the electricity connection is operating.

By Greener Numbers Editorial Team · Published October 16, 2026 · Updated 10/16/2026

Nexans and TenneT announced October 16 that subsea cable production has started for the LanWin2 offshore grid connection at Nexans' Halden facility in Norway. Nexans describes the milestone as the first industrial-scale production of its 525 kV HVDC XLPE subsea cable technology. This is a manufacturing and delivery milestone, not an announcement that the electricity connection is operating.

The planned connection will link offshore wind generation in the German North Sea to Germany's transmission grid. The original company release places it within TenneT's 2 GW offshore connection program. A connection's power-transfer capability is different from annual electricity generation, and this announcement does not provide a household bill-saving calculation.

Nexans says production follows successful qualification of the cable technology and moves the project from engineering into large-scale delivery. The voltage rating describes the cable system, not the power generated by wind turbines. The release identifies the technology as high-voltage direct current with cross-linked polyethylene insulation.

The companies established their frame agreement in 2023 to secure supply-chain capacity and improve planning certainty. The October 16 development concerns production under that existing partnership, not the creation of a new agreement today. Nexans says LanWin2 and BalWin3 remain on schedule.

LanWin2 is expected to be commissioned in 2031. For the separate BalWin3 project, the release says cable installation in the Wadden Sea and nearshore areas is planned for 2027. Those dates are project expectations and plans, not completed installations or guaranteed operating dates.

For energy users, the relevant development is progress on transmission infrastructure needed to connect offshore generation. The announcement does not establish a specific reduction in German retail electricity prices, a measured reliability improvement today or the cost allocated to individual customers. Read the production milestone separately from future construction, commissioning and consumer outcomes.

Official source: nexans.com ↗