The practice of reusing electrical cables in tertiary construction projects remains marginal, but is edging closer to industrialisation. The ambition of the project developed by Cegelec Nord Grands Projets under the brand name Circable is to address the climate emergency by fostering a “reuse reflex” in the sector.
They are just as safe and effective as new cables, definitely easier to install, and above all, more sustainable. But reconditioned electrical cables scarcely feature in tertiary construction orders. “Reusing cables is anything but a reflex action on construction sites. We need to invent a market, by which I mean: develop a supply and create a demand,” explains Camille Thiriez, Innovation and Digital Solutions Engineer at Cegelec Nord Grands Projets.
For the past two years, this VINCI Energies business unit has been working to instil a “reuse reflex” in orders for electrical cables within the Group. After an incubation period at Leonard, the VINCI group’s future-oriented innovation platform, and encouraged by some pilot contracts, Cegelec Nord Grands Projets, in partnership with VINCI Energies Building Solutions, the VINCI Energies tertiary network brand, is launching an offering based on the reuse of short lengths of cable obtained from deconstruction, under the commercial brand name Circable.
A narrower range of standard items
How does it work? “We buy cables from deconstruction sites, and organise traceability and shipping to the reconditioning workshop operated by Vitamine T, a social employment company with which we have established quality protocols,” says Camille Thiriez. “Circable provides storage and transportation of the quantities ordered. The support of VINCI Energies Building Solutions removes a significant obstacle by enabling us to offer a price equivalent to new cable.”
“We now hold 50 km in stock, enough to fulfil several dozen orders.”
To better meet the market’s needs, the offering is focused on the two most-used cable types: U‑1000 R2V and H07RN‑F. The cables are packaged and delivered in 30‑metre rolls, then cut to standard unit lengths: 3, 5, 10 and 15 metres for field-terminated cables, and 3, 5, 7 and 10 metres for pre-terminated cables.
GHG emissions reduced by 90%
The battle of scaling up to industrial volumes is yet to be won, requiring as it does the correct balance between supply and demand. “In 2024, we supplied our cables to three construction projects,” says Camille Thiriez. “Since the launch of Circable, orders have multiplied rapidly. We now hold 50 km in stock, enough to fulfil several dozen orders. But we are aiming, fairly soon, for the beginnings of industrialisation, in line with the ecological transition challenges facing the building sector.”
The arguments in favour are undeniable. Because the production of new cables emits such large quantities of greenhouse gases, reusing cables reduces emissions by at least 90%. One metre of reconditioned material avoids 3 kg of CO2 emissions, plus 56 kg of waste from the extraction of the copper, 69 m3 of water consumption and 84 kg of plastic waste. It also creates 10 hours of social employment.
01/15/2026
