Carrollton, Georgia, January 15, 2009 -- Southwire's high-temperature superconducting cable, HTS
Triax®, is about to make its national television debut.
A new documentary produced by the National Geographic Channel provides a glimpse of cutting-edge
technologies being designed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and various partners to combat
and deter terrorist attacks within America's borders. Hi-Tech War on Terror is scheduled to air at 10 p.m. on
Wednesday, Jan. 28.
From military weapons labs to seaport and airspace command centers, the hour-long documentary includes
footage from facilities across the country. Viewers get a first-hand look at new technologies designed to
protect airliners from explosions, create a high-altitude missile detection system, add security sensors to
shipping containers, build an electrical grid using superconducting cables and scan people from a distance
to determine if they have malicious intentions.
“This is really cutting-edge stuff. This is brand-new science,” said James Cohen, Department of Homeland
Security under secretary. “We're going for the big gain. If we fail, we've learned in the process. But if
we're successful, it's a game-changer.”
While it is cutting-edge, Southwire's high-temperature superconducting (HTS) cable is not a brand new,
unproven technology. The company began working on superconducting cables in the early 1990s and is
about to mark two-and-a-half years since one of its HTS cables was installed in a working substation near
Columbus, Ohio.
According to the president of the Southwire Energy Division, Charlie Murrah, "The success of HTS Triax
cable operations at AEP in Ohio is helping the Energy Division leverage this experience to win new
superconducting cable projects across the United States. We continue to provide innovative solutions, like
HTS Triax, to solve our customers' most challenging problems."
Although it does not mention Southwire by name, the documentary explores a partnership between
American Superconductor, Consolidated Edison and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop a more
resilient power grid in the Manhattan borough of New York City. Southwire and its joint venture partner
nkt cables are working with American Superconductor to develop cables for the project. The
superconducting cables, which are seen in the film, act as their own circuit breakers, preventing a cascading
effect in the event of a power outage and limiting the area affected.
“As the nation's power grows even more congested, the ability of superconductors to deliver more power to
more people becomes increasingly crucial to ensuring a continuous flow of electricity,” said Stu Thorn,
Southwire's president and CEO. “In addition, power systems will require greater levels of protection
against electrical surges. To meet these challenges, partners like Southwire, American Superconductor and
the Department of Homeland Security are using the latest technological advances to provide solutions.”
About Southwire:
Southwire® Company is a wire and cable provider in North America, manufacturing copper and aluminum buildingwire and cable, metal-clad (MC) cable, metallic and nonmetallic
flexible conduit, cord products, utility cable products, industrial power cable, power generation
cables, copper and aluminum rod and continuous casting technology. Through research,
Southwire has developed and patented Flatwire Ready®, SureSeal(TM), HTS Triax® Superconducting Cable,
SIMpull THHN® cable, Romex® SIMpull® cable, MCAP® and HCF MCAP® cables. Southwire has also
developed other innovative products such as Riser MC cable(TM), HS285®, Vibration Resistant (VR2(TM) ) and
PowerGlide® Utility Cables. Visit our Web site at www.southwire.com.
Press Contact:
Southwire Company
One Southwire Drive
Carrollton, Georgia 30119
770-832-4242