The installation of the world's deepest underwater power cable has been completed.
Italian company Prysmian has set a record by completing the installation of the world’s deepest underwater power cable. The cable, located at a depth of 2,150 meters, connects Sicily, Sardinia island, and Italy.
Italian company Prysmian has completed the installation of a deep-sea underwater cable at a record depth of 2,150 meters in this field. The installation of the 500kV High Voltage Direct Current Mass Impregnated (HVDC MI) cable, conducted by cable manufacturer and installation service provider Prysmian, successfully passed sea trial tests.
As part of the Tyrrhenian Link project by Terna, the electricity transmission grid operator in Europe, spanning 970 kilometers in length with a capacity of 1000 MW, Sicily, Sardinia island, and Italy will be interconnected with a pair of submarine cables.
Next-generation cable technology used
A non-metallic armored cable created using a composite material based on High Modulus Polyethylene (HMPE) fibers is being touted as the future generation transmission cable technology. HMPE is a fiber with a low stretch rate and a high strength-to-weight ratio, resistant to fatigue and abrasion.
The underwater cables in the project will be laid and maintained up to a depth of 2,150 meters, the deepest point ever reached by a power cable. The innovative armor solution, which is 50% lighter than steel, made it possible to lay cables at these depths. The company’s state-of-the-art cable laying vessel, Leonardo da Vinci, was deployed for the mission.
Prysmian states that it used the same armor technology in the Evia-Andros-Tinos connection at a depth of 550 meters in 2019 and the Crete-Peloponnese underwater connection project at a depth of 1,000 meters in 2020, proving its reliability.
Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are rapidly increasing in Sicily, Sardinia, and especially Campania. Due to their inherently irregular nature, integrating these energy sources into the grid is of great importance. Therefore, the €1.7 billion Tyrrhenian Link project was designed to increase electricity transmission capacity, support the development of renewable energy, and enhance grid reliability.
