September 30, 2016 – Prysmian Group is launching a new cable technology promising better electrical performance, lower costs and better environmental sustainability: the P-Laser 600kV cable system for HVDC (high-voltage direct current) applications.

“This milestone innovation shapes the progress of the entire HVDC cable industry, reaching 3.5GW per bipole—the highest power rating ever—with cost reductions of up to 30% per transmitted MW,” boasted Prysmian’s Massimo Battaini.

P-Laser is the name given to a thermoplastic material (developed in-house) known as HPTE (high-performance thermoplastic elastomer) that promises more-efficient cable production with lower environmental impact than traditional XLPE. Compared to XLPE, a key feature of this new insulation technology, says Prysmian, is it does not require a chemical reaction during manufacture to achieve the material properties required for the long-term electrical integrity of HVDC insulation systems. This feature gives the additional benefit of shorter production times, and results in both reduced energy consumption and lower GHG emissions.

In Canada, Prysmian has a manufacturing facility in Prescott, Ont.