Prysmian Nets Subsea Cable Deal in Philippines

Prysmian Group has been awarded a contract by the Filipino grid operating company NGCP (National Grid Corporation of the Philippines) worth a total of around EUR 90 million for the design, supply, installation, and commissioning of a submarine power cable link to connect Negros and Panay islands in the Philippines.

The Negros-Panay connection project, known as CNP-1 (Cebu-Negros-Panay phase 1), is the first stage of a larger development plan by NGCP, aimed at connecting the Cebu, Negros and Panay islands to each other and at strengthening the Country’s power transmission network. The submarine cable link will be one of the main assets to play a core role in this plan as it will back up the existing 138 kV oil filled cable circuit, which is currently the only connection among the islands.

“This new project reconfirms Prysmian’s undisputed key role in the submarine cable systems industry as a truly reliable and dedicated leader in the execution of turn-key complex projects”, stated Massimo Battaini, Prysmian Group’s Senior Vice President Energy Projects. “Our submarine cables order book hovers around a record-breaking stable value of 2.5 billion euro and we have secured the CNP-1 contract against tight competition from Far Eastern manufacturers. These are tangible signs of the Group’s strong and acknowledged reputation and of the trust of the market,” he added.

The CNP-1 cable connection comprises three HVAC (High Voltage Alternating Current) 230 kV single core cables with XLPE insulation and single wire armouring along a 22 km submarine route across the Guimaras Strait. As part of the complete system Prysmian will also supply and install underground cables for the land portions of the link and will erect the two Cable Terminal Stations (CTS) in Barotac Viejo on the Panay side and in Magalona on the Negros side. Cables will be produced in the Group’s excellence centre for submarine cables in Arco Felice, near Naples (Italy). Delivery and commissioning is scheduled for the first half of 2016.

With the goal of continuing to meet the needs of high potential growth markets for the development of new infrastructure, the Group is moving ahead with a major investment programme to expand production capabilities and to multiply the use of innovative technologies such as HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) cables, which let large quantities of energy be transmitted over long distances. Furthermore, the Group has strengthened its portfolio of connections to mainland grids and inter-array connections between turbines, also thanks to cables manufactured at the Drammen plant in Norway and to installation services provided by the cable laying ship Cable Enterprise, which will soon be leaving docks after extensive upgrade from dumb barge to self-propelled DP2 vessel.