Prysmian has reserved the capacity to design, test, supply and install a high voltage direct current cable system, consisting of 350 kV single-core cables with mass impregnated insulation and double-wire armouring & integrated fiber optic.
Dec 16, 2024
Prysmian has signed a capacity reservation agreement worth around EUR 250 million with Transpower New Zealand Limited, the New Zealand TSO, for a new submarine power cables across Cook Strait, connecting Aotearoa New Zealand’s North and South Islands.
With an overall capacity of up to 1400 MW, the new power link will replace the existing cable infrastructure, which is nearing the end of its operational life. The new cables will provide significant benefits to the country, ensuring reliable and cost-effective electricity supply, while supporting the increasing electricity demand in New Zealand.
Prysmian has reserved the capacity to design, test, supply and install a HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) Cable System, consisting of 350 kV single-core cables with MI (Mass Impregnated) insulation and double-wire armouring and integrated fiber optic – essential for monitoring purposes.
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The capacity to manufacture submarine cable has been reserved at Prysmian’s centre of excellence in Arco Felice (Italy), while the capacity for the installation operations has been reserved with one of the new company’s record-setting cable-laying vessels (like Monna Lisa class), due to the water depth of around 250 meters.
Prysmian will also make use of its proprietary fully integrated EOSS monitoring system based on more than 20 years’ experience in this field. All cables will be constantly monitored using the EOSS innovative solutions like Distributed Temperature (DTS) and Acoustic Sensing (DAS) to measure all key operating parameters along with the whole cable system.
As a turnkey solution provider, Prysmian can offer its comprehensive 360 degree strategic approach by integrating innovative and smart components with consolidated cable technologies, leveraging on the widest range of installation capabilities.
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New Zealand, which has no power connections with other countries, relies on its inter-island submarine power cables to move power from established renewable hydro generation in the South Island to growing population centres in the North Island across the 40-km wide Cook Strait.
The two-way power flow through the link is critical to ensure that in ‘dry years’, where rainfall and snowmelt does not provide sufficient storage into hydro schemes, bulk power can be transferred in the opposite direction (North Island to South Island), as was seen in 2024.
The contract is currently under negotiation and is expected to be finalised in Q1 2026 with a notice to proceed expected by H1 2026. Commissioning is planned in 2031.
