LS Cable breaks ground for undersea cable facility in US

LS Cable & System CEO Koo Bon-kyu, fourth from left, poses with Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, fifth from left, during a groundbreaking ceremony of the cable maker’s vertical continuous vulcanization tower in Chesapeake, Virginia, Wednesday (local time). Courtesy of LS Cable & System

LS Cable & System said Thursday its manufacturing subsidiary in the United States, LS GreenLink, has begun constructing a cutting-edge facility used to produce undersea cables in Chesapeake, Virginia.

The vertical continuous vulcanization (VCV) tower is a key facility in the manufacturing of high-voltage cables, as it forms the insulation layer that determines cable quality and reliability.

By producing cables vertically, the system minimizes the effects of gravity during the production process, thereby improving both product quality and production efficiency, according to LS Cable.

LS GreenLink’s cable factory is the largest undersea cable production base in the United States. Commercial cable production is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2028. Standing at 201 meters tall, the VCV tower will become the world's largest VCV facility and the tallest structure in the state of Virginia upon completion.

The investment comes as the U.S. is rapidly expanding its power grid infrastructure to replace aging transmission networks and support the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.

With only one major submarine cable plant currently operating in the U.S., LS GreenLink is poised to capture significant market share amid Washington's push for localized supply chains and energy security.

The new plant solidifies the North American power value chain for LS Group, with LS Cable and LS Marine Solution targeting the ultrahigh-voltage transmission market, while Gaon Cable, an affiliate of LS Cable, provides power infrastructure for AI data centers there.

"LS GreenLink will serve as a strategic hub capable of supplying not only North America, but also European markets," LS Cable & System CEO Koo Bon-kyu said. "We will aggressively expand our market share leveraging our localized production capabilities and technological edge."