Gaon Cable to build nuclear cable production facilities in US

Gaon Cable, a subsidiary of LS Cable & System, said Monday that its US production subsidiary LSCUS plans to build nuclear cable production facilities at its factory in Tarboro, North Carolina.

The move is part of a strategy to proactively secure a local supply chain ahead of anticipated growth in the US nuclear power and small modular reactor markets.

The United States has seen limited new nuclear plant construction over an extended period, leaving the local supply chain for nuclear-grade cables and other equipment underdeveloped. Nuclear power plants require large volumes of power, control and instrumentation cables — a single plant can use more than 50,000 electrical cable circuits depending on its design. Nuclear cables are a high-mix, low-volume product, with a wide range of specifications and performance requirements depending on where and how they are used.

LSCUS plans to pursue relevant certifications based on Gaon Cable's specialty cable technology and work with South Korean nuclear companies to break into the local supply chain.

"As the US nuclear market expands and Korean companies ramp up participation in US projects, new opportunities are expected to open up for local equipment suppliers as well," a Gaon Cable official said. "We will actively target the US nuclear market, drawing on our extensive experience producing a wide range of power and control cables and on LSCUS's established local production base."

Meanwhile, Gaon Cable has been making significant investments to meet North American cable demand. Last month, the company announced an additional $50 million investment to more than double its local cable production capacity.