Projects

Alessandro Panico,
Sales Manager, Prysmian

Interconnecting France and Italy with HVDC

Prysmian not only holds a leading position in network communication cabling solutions; we are also a global leader in energy cabling…

A consortium of seven companies led by Prysmian Group will be realising a High Voltage Direct Current interconnection between Italy and France. Total value of the project - for the consortium - , awarded by Terna Rete Italia S.p.A. and RTE, the transmission system operators in Italy and France is higher than € 500 m. Commissioning is scheduled for 2019.

 

The ‘Piemonte-Savoia’ interconnection is an underground High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) cable project, which plays a strategic role in increasing the security of power supply and enabling energy exchange between Italy and France up to 1200 MW. The project represents an important new step towards the creation of a single European energy market.

World record

The full project comprises of a ± 320 kV extruded HVDC underground cable turnkey system. This includes the engineering, production and installation of two 600 MW bipolar circuits along a 190 km land route between the substations of Piossasco, near Turin (Italy) and Grand’Ile in Savoy (France). The cable will cross approximately 95 kilometres in each country. The link is the longest of its type and sets a world record for HVDC underground interconnections using extruded cable technology.

 

“Prysmian Group will be coordinating the design, supply, installation - including civil works - and commissioning of the interconnection,” explains Alessandro Panico, Sales Manager. “Together with Silec Cable, we will provide the HVDC underground cable systems. These are insulated with extruded material technology. Roda S.p.A. and CEBAT srl will provide civil works and installation on the Italian side and Gauthey, Serpollet and Sobeca will provide civil works and installation on the French side. This project re-affirms our worldwide leadership in the strategic high valueadded sector of HVDC grid connection projects.”

 

Track record

“The client needed a secure power supply and power exchange between Italy and France. To realize this, we had to take into account an extremely complicated installation route with tunnels and viaducts. Prysmian has an undisputedly wide track record in HVDC cable – possibly the largest amongst competitors - and we also underwent a long qualification programme”.

 

Prysmian Group recently announced the successful commissioning and hand-over of the HVDC offshore grid connections BorWin2 and HelWin1 and the DC land section of Skagerrak 4. Two further DC offshore grid connection projects, SylWin1 and HelWin2 are nearing completion. Prysmian is currently also involved in the HVDC cable systems for the DolWin3 and BorWin3 projects. Another HVDC interconnection (France - Spain) realized by Prysmian is near completion and will start operations shortly.

 

“We are proud to make our technologies and our experience available to the realisation of a project with such a high strategic value” said Valerio Battista, Prysmian Group CEO. “The development of power transmission interconnections is of paramount importance in Europe and Prysmian is a key player.”