Italian cable manufacturer Prysmian has secured a contract worth over €300m to provide submarine power cable links for three offshore wind farms in France.
Under the contract, signed with Réseau de Transport d'Électricité (RTE), Prysmian will develop the submarine cables which will help connect the Fécamp, Calvados and Saint Nazaire offshore wind farms in the Atlantic Ocean to the country's mainland grid.
French electricity transmission system operator, RTE is responsible for operation, maintenance and development of high-voltage transmission system in the country.
The submarine cable links will include high voltage alternating current (HVAC) 220kV three-core cables with cross linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation and single wire armoring.
Prysmian will design, develop, supply, install, test and commission two HV export power cable links.
The links are planned to cover both the submarine and land routes for the wind farms, which are planned to be commissioned between 2019 and 2022.
Prysmian Energy Projects senior vice-president Massimo Battaini said: “Prysmian is already widely involved in the provision of reliable and more sustainable power transmission connections in France, through the realization of the France-Spain and the Italy-France interconnectors.
“The offshore wind market in France is a new and promising development in this segment, and this contract not only consolidates our relationship with RTE but also re-affirms Prysmian’s world leadership in providing HV submarine cable solutions.”
Prysmian plans to manufacture submarine cables for the projects at its facilities in Arco Felice, Italy and Pikkala, Finland while the cables for land sections will be manufactured at Gron, France.
The cables are planned to be delivered between 2018 and 2020, depending on the individual scheduling of the wind farms.
Image: Prysmian will supply power cables for French offshore wind farms. Photo: courtesy of Prysmian Group.