General – Power Cable Installation
Nexans has set a new world record in the subsea power cable industry after installing a 500 kV high-voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea cable at a depth of 2,150 meters on Italy’s Tyrrhenian Link project.
The installation marks the deepest-ever deployment of an HVDC subsea power cable and was carried out in collaboration with Italian grid operator Terna.
The milestone was achieved on the western section of the Tyrrhenian Link, a major electricity interconnection project linking Sicily and Sardinia, and reflects years of engineering development and operational capability, the company said.
Once completed, the Tyrrhenian Link will include two 500 kV HVDC subsea cables with a total length of about 970 kilometers and a transmission capacity of 1,000 MW.
The connection between Sicily and Sardinia alone spans about 480 kilometers and reaches depths of up to 2,150 meters below sea level.
Terna is investing around $4.3 billion in the project, which also includes an eastern section linking Sicily and Campania, where installation of the first cable was completed in May.
Nexans is conducting cable-laying work on the western section in two phases, with the first phase finished in September 2025 and the second phase starting in December 2025.
