Nexans goes all electric as it reveals Hydro aluminum deal
Kelvin Ross
Posted on: 6 July 2026
French company rebrands as ‘pure electrification player’ after selling business unit while announcing low-carbon aluminium deal with Norway’s Hydro.
French cable company Nexans today unveils itself as a pure-play electrification company after completing the final step of a business transformation started in 2021.
The company five years ago revealed its intention to divest all non-electrification units and this has now been achieved with the sale of its wiring harness business, Autoelectric, to global automotive supplier Samvardhana Motherson International for €207 million.
Autoelectric generated approximately €708 million in annual sales in 2025 and employs nearly 13,000 people, who will now join Motherson.
Nexans’ chief executive Julien Hueber, who took up the CEO role in October 2025, said the sale of Autoelectric “marks the final step in Nexans' transformation into a pure electrification player”.
“It strengthens our strategic focus, improves capital allocation discipline, and positions the group to fully capture the opportunities of the global energy transition.”
He said Autoelectric joining Motherson was “a natural fit for the next phase of the business's development”.
Paris-headquartered Nexans operates in 41 countries with 25,700 staff people and generated €6.1 billion in sales in 2025.
Hydro aluminium deal
The company has also announced a five-year deal with Norwegian energy company Hydro for the supply of around 85,000 tonnes of low-carbon aluminium wire rod.
The aluminium from Hydro will be used across Nexans’ European operations in power cable solutions supporting medium-voltage power grids, overhead transmission lines and subsea high-voltage infrastructure projects.
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Growing investment in renewable energy, grid reinforcement and cross-border electricity interconnections is driving rising demand for aluminium, while tighter carbon regulations and supply chain pressures continue to reshape the European market.
Both Nexans and Hydro state that their collaboration will address these challenges “by combining long-term security of supply with low-carbon aluminium produced using low-carbon aluminium which is manufactured by 100% renewable energy in Norway”.
Cleaner energy
“Europe’s electrification ambitions depend not only on generating cleaner energy, but also on building the infrastructure needed to transport it efficiently and reliably,” said Vijay Mahadevan, chief operations officer at Nexans.
“This agreement with Hydro strengthens the resilience of our supply chain while supporting lower-carbon electrification. Securing long-term access to responsibly produced aluminium is essential for delivering the critical grid infrastructure Europe needs over the coming decade.”
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The aluminium Hydro will supply is a low-carbon product material with a verified footprint below 4.0 kg CO₂ per kg aluminium, less than one-third of the global average.
Hydro said that utilising low-carbon aluminium helps reduce the embedded emissions associated with electricity infrastructure projects.
"Europe’s transition from importing fossil energy to domestically produced renewable power is creating strong demand for modern electricity infrastructure,” said Hanne Simensen, executive vice-president of Hydro Aluminium Metal.
“Our ambition is to… offer stable and reliable supply of the low‑carbon aluminium solutions Europe needs to strengthen its grid, competitiveness and energy security.”
