‘Industry-first’ as Prysmian installs HVDC cable in waters over 2,000 meters deep

Italian cabling giant Prysmian Group has performed what is said to be the industry’s first installation of an HVDC cable at a water depth of 2,150 meters.

Prysmian completed the sea trial tests for ultra-deep installation of a 500 kV HVDC MI cable at a 2,150-meter water depth, stating that this is industry record-breaking as it is the first time an HVDC cable is laid at such a depth.

According to the company, the success of the sea trials is the result of many laboratory tests and this non-metallic armored cable, designed with a composite material based on high-modulus synthetic fibers, shapes the new generation of cable technology. 

The cable will be employed for the €1.7 billion Tyrrhenian Link, awarded in 2021 by Terna. Under the contract, Prysmian will design, supply, and install a total of over 1,500 kilometers of submarine cables to support the power exchange among Sardinia, Sicily and Campania, reinforcing the Mediterranean energy hub.

The installation is carried out by cable laying vessel (CLV) Leonardo da Vinci.

Prysmian notes that the same lightweight armor technology was used in 2019 for the Evia-Andros-Tinos interconnection at a water depth of 550 meters and in 2020 for the Crete-Peloponnese submarine interconnection project at 1,000 meters.