Prysmian Cables & Systems secures contract for 400 million Euro in Italy

Prysmian Cables & Systems secures contract for 400 Million Euro in Italy.

On behalf of Terna SpA, Prysmian will produce a new interconnection linking the Sardinian transmission network to the Italian mainland.

It will be the world's largest energy link ever: a record in terms of energy transmitted (1000 MW) and depth (over 1600 metres).

Prysmian Cables & Systems (the former Pirelli Cavi, which transferred to the control of Goldman Sachs Capital Partners in 2005 ) has been awarded a record contract worth over 400 million Euro for the design, supply and construction of a high voltage DC submarine link between the Sardinian energy transmission network and that of the Italian mainland (SA.PE.I.), on behalf of Terna Rete Elettrica Nazionale SpA, the company responsible for electricity transmission and dispatching over the high-voltage and extra-high voltage grid throughout Italy.

The project, an infrastructure upgrade of strategic importance for the entire country, is a milestone in the submarine energy transmission systems industry. SA.PE.I will be the largest link ever produced worldwide . Apart from being the longest connection ever produced by a single supplier (over 400 km) and the second longest overall, the SA.PE.I. project will also boast two other world firsts in terms of energy transmitted (1000 MW) and maximum depth (over 1600 metres).

"This project makes us especially proud", says Valerio Battista, Prysmian CEO, "because it gives us the opportunity to reconfirm our position as the leader in this industry. This is something we established as Pirelli and are pleased to continue as Prysmian."

Prysmian will provide a turnkey system including the engineering, production and laying of two 500 kV DC cable terminals, comprising both land cable, for a total of 30 km of cable, and submarine cable, for a total of over 800 km of cable, with a transmission capacity of 1000 MW at 500 kV DC between the Fiume Santo substation in Sassari, Sardinia, and the Latina substation. The project, of strategic importance for the development of the national energy transmission network, will increase the current 300 MW at 200 kV DC connection between Sardinia, Corsica and Italy (SA.CO.I), constructed also by the former Pirelli Cavi in 1965.

Prysmian will install the submarine cable from its own cable-laying ship, Giulio Verne. Given the extreme length of the connection, the installation will be split into several parts. The Arco Felice plant in Naples, Italy, one of the most advanced in the sector, will produce the submarine and land cables. Completion of the first terminal of the project is expected by August 2008.

In 2005 alone, Prysmian Cables & Systems secured a number of the most important projects worldwide in the cable industry: in the United States the New York-New Jersey network link worth 190 million dollars; in the Middle East the 170-million dollar contract for a submarine interconnection between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain; and in Australia the "Basslink" connection, worth 180 million Euros, which was delivered earlier this year.