High-voltage electricity cables are in huge demand around the world, so much so that a lack of cabling has become a bottleneck throttling the clean energy transition. So why are cable manufacturers so hesitant to expand? Also, how are these giant cables made? And is China about to eat everyone's lunch? Claes Westerlind, chief executive officer of cable manufacturing company NKT, joins Zero to discuss. This is the third episode in Bottlenecks, a series exploring the lesser known obstacles standing in the way of our electrified future.

Explore further:
Previous episode in Bloomberg Green’s Bottleneckes series: 
How a Shortage of Transformers Threatens Electricity Supply
There Aren’t Enough Engineers to Meet World’s Growing Hunger for Power
Electric Cable Companies Are Making a Killing From Green Energy

Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd. Special thanks to: Jess Beck, Sommer Saadi, Mohsis Andam and Siobhan Wagner. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green.

High-voltage electricity cables are in huge demand around the world, so much so that a lack of cabling has become a bottleneck throttling the clean energy transition. So why are cable manufacturers so hesitant to expand? Also, how are these giant cables made? And is China about to eat everyone's lunch? Claes Westerlind, chief executive officer of cable manufacturing company NKT, joins Zero to discuss. This is the third episode in Bottlenecks, a series exploring the lesser known obstacles standing in the way of our electrified future.
Explore further:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Previous episode in Bloomberg Green&rsquo;s Bottleneckes series:&nbsp;</li>
<ul>
<li aria-level="2"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-29/how-a-shortage-of-transformers-threatens-electricity-supply?srnd=undefined">How a Shortage of Transformers Threatens Electricity Supply</a></li>
<li aria-level="2"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2025-bottlenecks-engineering-jobs/?srnd=phx-bigtake">There Aren&rsquo;t Enough Engineers to Meet World&rsquo;s Growing Hunger for Power</a></li>
<li aria-level="2"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-08-01/green-energy-boom-drives-600-stock-surge-for-cable-maker-as-shortage-grows">Electric Cable Companies Are Making a Killing From Green Energy</a></li>
</ul>
</ul>
Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd. Special thanks to: Jess Beck, Sommer Saadi, Mohsis Andam and Siobhan Wagner. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/green">https://www.bloomberg.com/green</a>.

Zero is about the tactics and technologies taking us to a world of zero emissions. Each week Bloomberg’s award-winning reporter Akshat Rathi talks to the people tackling climate change – a venture capitalist hunting for the best cleantech investment, scientists starting companies, politicians who have successfully created climate laws, and CEOs who have completely transformed their businesses. The road to zero emissions has many paths and everyone’s got an opinion about the best route. Listen in.

Zero: The Climate Race

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There aren’t enough cables to meet rising electricity demand: Bottlenecks Series

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ed761ef5-a854-4a8a-9475-b2f800d9ead5/transcript

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