*

Sees FY adjusted EBITDA at 2.3-2.375 billion euros

*

Cash generation seen at 1-1.075 billion euros in 2025

*

Channell consolidated into group at beginning of June

*

Adjusted EBITDA rose 32% in Q1, topping consensus

(Adds copper tariffs after CEO media call; paragraph 1)

MILAN, July 31 (Reuters) - Italy's Prysmian will benefit

from the new copper tariff set-up in the United States, which

sets levies on foreign-made cables, the group's CEO said on

Thursday, adding this could help the cablemaker further improve

its full-year forecasts.

Prysmian produces in the United States the cables

it sells on that market. Chief Executive Massimo Battaini said

the new copper tariff scheme would bring a 50% increase in cost

for importers of cables from countries such as Mexico, India,

from Korea, which had until now been exempted from the 50% levy.

"We will not suffer the same cost disadvantage that those

importers are going to suffer," he said, presenting Prysmian's

second quarter results and a guidance upgrade for 2025.

"This will allow us to keep prices high."

On Wednesday U.S. President Donald Trump signed a

proclamation setting a 50% tariff on semi-finished copper

products and copper-intensive derivative products from August 1,

while exempting copper cathodes and other red metal input

materials such as scrap, ores, concentrates, mattes and anodes.

"Now we are in a much stronger position than we were 24

hours ago. Much stronger," Battaini said, adding that the new

forecasts provided for 2025 might now look "conservative".

He added, "We didn't know about this tariff change until

this morning. There is an opportunity for an upside."

Milan-listed shares in the world's largest cable maker were

up 2.1% in early trading.

Analysts at Citi said copper tariffs would support pricing

and margins in the U.S. low-voltage business.

"The United States is not self-sufficient in copper rod,

whereas Prysmian is vertically integrated in copper rod

production, meaning that it could benefit, should copper rod

become a bottleneck," they said in a note.

Earlier on Thursday, Prysmian guided for its adjusted core

earnings (EBITDA) this year to rise to 2.3 billion euros to

2.375 billion euros ($2.63 billion to $2.72 billion), versus a

previous forecast of 2.25 billion euros to 2.35 billion euros,

as the company beat expectations for second-quarter results.

It also anticipated free cash flow of 1 billion euros to

1.075 billion euros this year, up from 950 million euros to 1.05

billion euros previously.

Prysmian said it improved full-year forecasts despite

headwinds from a weaker dollar, thanks to a strong performance

so far this year, supported by transmission and power grid

businesses, and to contributions of recent M&A deals, including

the $1-billion Channell acquisition, aimed at expanding its

footprint in North America, its most profitable market.

Battaini said the efforts of Prysmian and of its lawyers in

the United States helped nail down the new copper tariff scheme.

"We managed to see the administration reflecting a more fair

approach to the tariffs," he said. "We do expect the same logic,

the same principle will also be applied to the aluminium

finished product coming from overseas."

Like copper, aluminium is a key material in cable

production.

($1=0.8740 euros)