South Korea’s largest cable manufacturer, LS Cable & System Ltd., has broken ground on a 1 trillion-won ($681 million) submarine power cable plant in Chesapeake, Virginia. The facility represents the first major South Korean investment since President Donald Trump returned to office in January.
The plant is scheduled for completion in Q3 2027, with operations beginning in Q1 2028, according to the company’s announcement.
LS Cable’s investment aims to strategically position the company within the restructuring US supply chain while addressing surging demand for undersea power cables.
The timing aligns with explosive growth in US electricity requirements, particularly from artificial intelligence infrastructure. Power demand from AI data centers in 2024 reached approximately 31 gigawatts—equivalent to half of South Korea’s entire annual electricity consumption. This figure is projected to more than triple to 120 GW by 2030.
The investment comes as US policymakers increasingly prioritize domestic manufacturing of critical infrastructure components. Submarine cables are essential for connecting offshore wind farms to mainland power grids and establishing reliable power transmission networks.
Industry analysts note that securing manufacturing capacity within the US gives LS Cable a competitive advantage in bidding for government contracts and infrastructure projects that favor domestically produced components.
The Virginia facility will become one of only a handful of submarine cable manufacturing plants in the United States, positioning the Korean manufacturer to capitalize on both renewable energy expansion and data center proliferation.
