Activity "slightly" slowed for cable manufacturers, affected by the construction crisis

While the energy transition has "contributed to the strengthening" of energy transmission networks, the construction sector "has been characterized by significant gloom," Sycabel, the professional union of manufacturers of electrical and communications wires and cables, highlighted in its annual report.

Taking into account variations in raw material prices, cable revenue in France in 2024 stood at 3,5 billion euros, an overall decrease of 3,7% compared to 2023, according to this report.

Thanks to the energy transition, which is resulting in the electrification of uses, the demand for high-voltage cables "is significantly higher than it was in previous years" and the demand for medium-voltage cables "is starting to pick up", but, on the low-voltage side, "we still have a construction market that is suffering", explained Franck Baron, president of Sycabel, during a press briefing.

While Sycabel notes that the French Construction Federation's latest forecasts for 2025 are a little less gloomy, "given the weight of construction in the mass of cables sold, I think we will see another slowdown" in 2025, Mr. Baron said.

Construction represents almost a third of the sector's activity.

The share of communication cables continued to fall, and now represents only 15% of turnover, taking into account the completed deployment of fiber for very high-speed internet.

During this press briefing, industry professionals announced the entry into force of a "change in the standard" for cables used in the construction of public buildings and high-rise buildings, in order to improve safety in the event of fire.

"There is a fire every two minutes in France and one in four fires is of electrical origin," stressed Guillaume Teixeira, treasurer of Sycabel.

In light of a decree published in May 2024, but whose application period extended over one year, professionals must now use cables which allow the fire to spread less quickly and which emit opaque smoke less quickly, improving the possibility of safety in the event of a disaster.