Prysmian Launches Non-metallic Armoured Submarine Cables
11th Nov 2019
Prysmian Group, the energy and telecom cable manufacturer has launched World’s first non-metallic armoured submarine cables for power transmission. The armour for these cables is made up of composite material based on high modulus synthetic fibers.
Prysmian’s Submarine Cable Innovation
The synthetic armour is 30% lighter than steel and the ultra-deep installation can be done up to 3,000 meters. High Modulus Polyethylene (HMPE) used for armour is a fiber that has a high strength to weight ratio and low stretch characteristics. The fibers have good abrasion resistance and fatigue life. “This product is the outcome of 7 years of R&D activities including modelling, materials selection and cable testing which ended up in a true innovative use of a light-weighted, high performance armour developed to provide our Utilities and TSOs (Transmission System Operators) customers with an industry-first solution,” explained Srinivas Siripurapu, EVP and Chief R&D Officer, Prysmian Group.
Prysmian has two partner research centres in India namely National Chemical Laboratory, New Delhi and Infosys Advanced Engineering Laboratory, Bengaluru. The total number of such research centres all over the world stands at 25.
Speaking at Cable & Wire Fair 2019 held on 6th November 2019, New Delhi Mr. Benoit Lacuyer, CEO-Prysmian India, emphasized on innovation in the cable sector. Mr. Benoit also mentioned about Prysmian’s recent initiatives such as corporate hanger (In-house startup incubator) and new cutting-edge cable-laying vessel.
Projects with the new Cable Technology
Prysmian has also announced that using non-metallic armoured cables it has already completed the submarine cable laying operations for the Evia, Andros and Tinos islands power interconnections. The installation work was completed by Prysmian’s cable-laying vessel Cable Enterprise, reaching depth up to 550 m in the link between the islands Evia and Andros.
The same cable technology will also be used in 2020 for the Crete-Peloponnese submarine interconnection project, which requires an installation depth of about 1,000 m, allowing a strong reduction in installation risks compared with metallic armoured cables.
About Prysmian Group: With its headquarters in Milan, Italy, Prysmian Group is a multinational corporation that manufactures electric power transmission and telecommunication cable and systems. Going by revenues it is one of the largest cable manufacturers in the world. Its last reported annual sale was about €11 billion with about 30,000 employees across 50 countries in 112 production plants. The Indian head office of Prysmian group is located in Mumbai with branch offices in Delhi and Bangalore.
