Project: Power cable suitable for subsea installation
Location: Italy
Company: ENEL
Type: Power Cable 33 kV
Length: 515 m
Tratos & Enel cooperation
TRATOS was very pleased to have supplied to Enel a 33 kv power cable suitable for subsea installation up to 200 meters in depth, with a required a continuous length of 515 m, according to IEC 60228 AND IEC 60502-2.
The continuous 515 m of power cable, with a weight of 25 tones, has been produced in the TRATOS factory in Pieve S. Stefano (Italy).
About Enel
Enel (Italy’s national entity for electricity) was founded in 1962 with the fusion of more than a thousand energy producers. With a solid bedrock of hydroelectric power as our starting point, our task was to power the country’s rapid growth. Enel has modernized and extended the national grid, later connecting it to the European network.
As the new millennium came into sight, so did Enel’s aptitude for digital technologies. In 2001 they designed and installed the world’s first smart meters. Becoming progressively more international, they acquired Endesa in Spain, established a major presence in Latin America, and bought North America’s first renewable energy plant. By this point, innovation and sustainability had become our two biggest drivers, and in 2004 they became the first private company in the renewable power sector to be listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
Three years later they joined the UN Global Compact and accelerated their efforts to open up to collaboration with all kinds of different sectors. As part of our Open Power strategy, they have worked together with companies, research centers, institutions, startups, and universities to develop new solutions. And to cultivate social and economic sustainability, we took renewable energies to distant places and people who had none.
Now that climate change has become increasingly evident, Enel is fully aware of the impact the new energy era can have. They have stepped up investments in digitalization, e-mobility, circular economy, and decarbonization. Today their sustainable approach to creating long-term shared value is guiding the energy transition.
And they aim to carry on finding new, innovative tools to contribute to positive growth, without ever losing sight of the future of our society. In 2017, this vision led to the birth of Enel X: the division of our Group that aims to offer everyone everywhere the opportunity to create new value through the innovative use of energy.
Did you know?
According to the Electrical Engineering Portal, installing a submarine transmission cable is a costly and challenging activity. The lifetime of a submarine cable might be tens of years and the technical interventions for its repairing in case of faults are also costly and difficult.
Installing a submarine transmission cable involves a series of actions:
- Selection of the provisional path;
- Obtaining permission from the relevant authorities;
- Survey of the path;
- Designing the cable system in order to meet the conditions of the selected path;
- Laying the cable, including burial in appropriate areas;
- A post-lay inspection may be necessary in some cases;
- Notification of cable position to other marine users.
The complexity of laying down the cable requires a coordinated work of many specialists in different fields. Path selection is done by power system engineers together with marine specialists. The survey is performed by geologists, geophysicists and oceanographers.
Laying the cable on the seafloor is executed by special structures engineers.
Tratos is very pleased to contribute toward achieving Goal 7 of the UN Global Goals to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Goal 13: Climate Action, GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being, and Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
