Prysmian has carried through to a successful conclusion the sea trial tests for ultra-deep installation of a 500 kV HVDC MI1 cable at a water depth of 2150 metres. This is an industry record-breaking installation, and the first time an HVDC cable has been laid at such a depth. The achievement ‘sets new market standards’ says Prysmian.
The non-metallic armoured cable, which was designed with a composite material based on high modulus synthetic fibres, may shape the new generation of cable technology. The use of an innovative armouring solution that in water can be 50% lighter than steel, combined with the state-of-the-art cable-laying vessel Leonardo da Vinci, will enable the installation and maintenance of Terna’s Tyrrhenian Link at a water depth of more than 2000 metres, the deepest ever reached with a power cable.
The success of the sea trials is the result of many laboratory tests. The same light weight armour technology had in fact been used in 2019 for the Evia – Andros-Tinos interconnection at a water depth of 550 m and in 2020 for the Crete-Peloponnese submarine interconnection project at 1000 m.
The cable will also be employed for the Tyrrhenian Link, a €1.7 billion project awarded in 2021 by Terna S.p.A. Under the contract, Prysmian will design, supply, and install a total of over 1500 km of submarine cables to support the power exchange among Sardinia, Sicily and Campania, and reinforcing the Mediterranean energy hub.
