Eco-Friendly HVDC Cable is Fully Recyclable

For better environmental sustainability, higher electrical performance and lower costs in power transmission grids, multinational telecom cable manufacturer Prysmian Group has developed a new high-voltage DC (HVDC) cable using novel thermoplastic insulation materials and a fully integrated production process called P-Laser technology. According to the manufacturer, the 525 kV cable is fully recyclable and environmentally friendly. Besides offering higher power transmission capacity, the new HVDC cable lowers system costs by more than 10%, claims the maker.

According to Prysmian, P-Laser is an advanced production technology that permits a more efficient cable production with lower environmental impact than the traditional cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) technology. With this technology, cable manufacturing is performed in a single and continuous process without requiring degassing to achieve the properties required for the long-term electrical integrity of HVDC insulation systems. As a result, it cuts production times and results in both reduced energy consumption as well as lower greenhouse gas emissions. It is also the first HVDC cable that can be fully recycled at system end-of-life.

In comparison to traditional XLPE-insulated cables, P-Laser-based 525 kV cable is fully compatible with existing cable and accessory technologies, and provides better electrical performance and a higher material integrity for HVDC applications. From an efficiency perspective, the thermoplastics-based 525 kV cable offers higher thermal performance, which increases the power transmission capability of the cable system for a given conductor size, thereby enabling average overall cost reductions of approximately 10% per transmitted MW.