Nordic presence in Portugal

NKT

Power Cables / Energy

NKT is a Danish high-voltage power-cable maker, listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen, that became a Portuguese manufacturer in June 2024 when it acquired SolidAl and its plant in Esposende — now part of NKT’s European high-voltage cable network.

HeadquartersBrøndby, Denmark
Founded1891
ListingNasdaq Copenhagen
Employees~6,000
Portuguese operationEsposende plant (ex-SolidAl, 2024)
Production10 European countries
SectorPower cables / energy
DirectionNordics → Portugal

Corridor footprint

NKT traces its roots to 1891 and today is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of medium-, high- and extra-high-voltage power cables, with around 6,000 employees, production in ten European countries and a listing on Nasdaq Copenhagen. Its cables underpin the grid upgrades, interconnectors and offshore-wind connections that the European energy transition depends on.

NKT’s Portuguese footprint dates to June 2024, when it acquired SolidAl, a Portugal-based power-cable manufacturer, bringing the site in Esposende into the group. The plant adds medium- and high-voltage capacity to meet rising demand from grid and renewable projects, and NKT has confirmed that Esposende — alongside its Cologne site — supplies high-voltage onshore cables under an extended framework agreement with France’s transmission operator RTE running from 2026 to 2028.

Why this matters for the corridor

The SolidAl deal turned a long-standing Portuguese cable maker into a node in a Danish-owned, pan-European high-voltage network — a textbook example of Nordic industrial capital deepening Portugal’s role in Europe’s electrification supply chain rather than simply selling into the market.

Recent activity

Acquisition of SolidAl completed June 2024 (Esposende site); high-voltage framework agreement with RTE extended to 2026–2028, supplied in part from Esposende.

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