An employees with LS Cable & System works at a a production line of aluminum cables for EVs. (Photo: LS C&S)

LS Cable & System (LS C&S), a photovoltaic power and wind power cable maker, is emerging as an eco-friendly, “Green New Deal” cable leader in the global market.

LS Cable & System developed a photovoltaic cable last May, which received international standard certification from Germany’s TUV Rheinland, a global certification authority.

TUV said that LS C&S’s DC 1500V photovoltaic cable meets the functional and safety standards of the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and EN (European Norm).

LS C&S believes that this certification will help it to expand more deeply into major markets in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, which use IEC and EN standards, as well as the domestic market.

Also, the company is planning to develop additional standard products for the North American and Japanese markets and strengthen its competitiveness with customized products for each global region.

LS C&S designed the photovoltaic cables to be resilient against UV radiation, extreme heat and cold, and water in consideration of the fact that they are primarily laid outdoors to connect solar panels to energy accumulation systems.

General cables may develop such problems as functional impairment, deformation, and overload if they are exposed outdoors for a long period of time.

As this product was developed as a DC cable, the current global trend in solar power systems, it boasts higher energy transmission efficiency than the existing AC type, and installation costs can be reduced as well.

President & CEO Myung Roe-hyun of LS C&S said, “As Korea has adopted its Green New Deal Policy, and as governments around the world are expanding the use of new renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, we are planning to concentrate on related R&D and marketing.”

To secure the safety and global competitiveness of photovoltaic systems, establishing Korean standards for cables becomes a necessity.

The company said that unlike in Europe and Japan, which are already require that only DC 1500V cables be used along with leading global standards, Korea does not have any separate provision for them.

LS C&S Cuts Undersea Cable Deals Worth More Than 1 Trillion Won

 LS Cable & System dedicated a power cable plant in Egypt in January to raise its export competitiveness, partly by securing an edge in price through local production.

Last October, LS C&S expanded investments by dedicating an additional power, telecom cable and parts plant at its Indian production operation, a move to redouble its telecom parts production capacity.

The efforts by LS C&S have paid off. The company landed undersea cable orders worth more than 1 trillion won in places such as Taiwan, the United States and the Netherlands between 2019 and 2020.

LS C&S struck a five-year contract to supply super high-voltage undersea cables on a preferential basis with Ørsted, a Danish off-shore wind power developer, last December.

As core materials like aluminum are expected to take center stage in a race to lighten EVs, LS C&S signed MOUs to supply aluminum cables for EVS with Japanese companies and has started mass production.

LS Cable & System Mass-Produces Aluminum Cables for EVs

LS Cable & System has begun mass-producing aluminum cables for electric vehicles. LS C&S increased investment in the belief that the aluminum will become the core material for automobiles as manufacturers are competing to reduce weight, especially for EVs.

As aluminum conductor cable is at least 40% lighter than commonly used copper cable, it is possible to reduce the weight of cables, typically 25kg per vehicle, to about 15kg.

The LS C&S plant constructed the only line exclusively for aluminum cables in Korea. If both copper and aluminum cable production facilities are in the same plant, copper particles may corrode aluminum.

The company says major automotive electronics companies in countries like Japan have lines dedicated exclusively for aluminum cables, and that the proportion of aluminum cables will increase from the current level of just under 5% to at least 30% in 2025.

“Batch production from materials to finished cable products is possible as LS Alsco, our aluminum subsidiary, will supply high-strength aluminum to us,” said an LS C&S official.

“As we are about to sign supply agreements with global wiring harness makers, we are also considering additional investments.”