Gaon Cable wins first floating solar project, to supply W17b in cables

Gaon Cable announced Monday it will supply anisotropic conductive film (ACF) cables worth about 17 billion won ($12.7 million) to major domestic floating solar projects, including the Seokmunho and Saemangeum Sunshine Sharing developments.

The contract marks Gaon Cable's first floating solar project win and the first application of ACF cables in a floating solar setting. ACF is a conduit-integrated cable that wraps a protective aluminum sheath around the power cable, eliminating the need for separate piping and reducing both installation steps and construction time.

Gaon Cable developed large-scale, long-distance products to meet the growing scale of floating solar farms. The products are designed to improve installation efficiency and ease of maintenance, accounting for the over-water construction conditions unique to floating solar.

The government plans to build a 1.2 GW floating solar complex at Saemangeum by 2030. Gaon Cable said it intends to use this initial supply contract as a springboard to expand participation in follow-on projects and pursue the domestic floating solar market more aggressively.

"We will continue to broaden the application of ACF cables not only in renewable energy sectors such as floating solar, but also across a wide range of power infrastructure including railways and roads," said Jeong Hyeon, chief executive of Gaon Cable.

Meanwhile, Gaon Cable has been building on a run of new orders driven by the global expansion of AI infrastructure. The company recently supplied medium-voltage cables to a major public utility in western Canada — its first export to the country.