Nexans Wins a 104 Million Euro Contract for Statnett's Oslofjord II Submarine
Power Cable Project

PARIS, July 22 /CNW/ -

- Replacement 420 kV Power Link Across the Oslofjord Will Feature the World's Largest High-Voltage XLPE Submarine Cable Installation

Nexans, the worldwide leader in the cable industry, has been awarded a 104 million Euro contract by Statnett, Norway's national main grid owner and operator, to design, manufacture and install the new Oslofjord II submarine high-voltage power link thus replacing the existing cables installed over 30 years ago which have reached the end of their service-life. The new Nexans cables, which transmission capacity will reach 3,000 MVA, will ensure a high level of continuity and reliability for a power link that plays a vital role both in Norway's transmission grid and in facilitating the transmission of power between Norway and Sweden.

The Oslofjord II link, to be installed over a 13 km route across the fjord, will consist of 3 x 420 kV XLPE submarine power cables and 6 x 420 kV paper insulated submarine cables. The XLPE installation will be the largest of its kind in the world, each cable 13 km long, beating the previous length of 2.4 km established by Nexans in the Ormen Lange project.

Nexans will deliver a total of 117 km of 420 kV submarine cable in 9 lengths, including end terminations. The cables are to be manufactured at Nexans' plants in Norway and Japan and will be installed at a water depth of 200 to 250 metres by Nexans' own vessel, the C/S Nexans Skagerrak, among other vessels. The first section of the installation will be completed in 2011, with the final delivery taking place during August 2012.

"Oslofjord II is a very important project for us in the Norwegian market. We have worked with Statnett on numerous occasions and are both proud and pleased that they have placed their trust in us once again," says Krister Granlie, Vice President of Nexans Norway Energy Division.

The existing Oslofjord cables, based on an oil-filled design, were manufactured and installed by Nexans in a series of projects between 1959 and 1980.

More information about Nexans, please consult http://www.nexans.com

For further information: Press, Celine Revillon, Tel.: [phone], [email protected]; Investor Relations, Michel Gedeon, Tel.: [phone], [email protected]