Cable manufacturers rely on electrification to revive

"All the economic indicators invite us to cry, all the prospects invite us to be happy", summarized Franck Baron, new boss of Sycabel, an organization which brings together 22 groups in the sector with factories in France, including the two world leaders in the sector. electric cables, the Italian Prysmian and the French Nexans.

In 2022, French industry "was hit hard" by difficulties in the supply of raw materials (plastics, copper, aluminum) "associated with a sharp rise in the cost of energy", recalls Sycabel.

Its turnover, which increased by 10% to 3,8 billion euros, was thus artificially inflated by the surge in metals. In addition, cable companies have also suffered from soaring energy costs, being just below the threshold set by the government to be considered energy intensive and eligible for subsidies.

In Europe, "we paid seven times more for energy than anywhere else in the world", thundered Jacques de Heere, vice-president of the union, who fears competition from Mediterranean countries such as Morocco, Turkey or Tunisia, because of this additional cost caused by the economic recovery of 2021, then accentuated by the war in Ukraine.

In 2023, manufacturers fear the "uncertainties about the economy", and the growth forecasts revised downwards in Europe, while exports represent a third of the sector's turnover.

In France, Mr. Baron is counting on a "fairly weak year", given the construction of housing at a standstill, but underlines the "very, very nice opportunities" which arise for the future, echoing the boss of the manager of the RTE electricity network, which on Thursday revised electricity consumption in France upwards for the years to come.

Mr. Baron thus detailed the strengthening of photovoltaics, on which France lags behind its neighbors, and in particular its development in car parks.

He also mentioned the charging stations dedicated to supporting the development of electric vehicles and offshore wind power, given the quantity of cables to connect these facilities far from the coast to the network.

Last point, "the electricity transport and distribution infrastructure (...) certainly the best in Europe", but whose construction, which dates from the 1970s, will require "renewal", in addition to its reinforcement "to pass more current".