Prysmian Wins £15 Million Turnkey Contract

At ��15 million the contract is the largest so far awarded in the UK by RWE npower renewables and represents a significant investment in the local economy as all the cable will be manufactured at Prysmian’s plant in Wrexham, North Wales.

The contract involves the supply and installation of four circuits of 132kV cable along an approximate 11.2km land connection route from Pensarn to a new substation at St Asaph using a fully ducted system. Prysmian will deliver the 134.4kms of 132kV cable using large, 3.4m diameter drums to enable long section lengths. The company will also manufacture and install 132 joints and 12 Gas Imersed terminations.

Prysmian is responsible for every element of the design, implementation and testing of the project which includes excavating through environmentally sensitive areas, some 57 special crossings to rivers, drainage ditches and roads and drilling under the A55 and A547 to ensure no disruption to traffic.

Prysmian Cables and Systems is an experienced provider of turnkey high voltage systems to its clients both here in the UK and throughout the world. The increasing development of renewable energy in the UK has driven Prysmian to invest significantly in its cable manufacturing facility in Wrexham and it remains at the forefront of cable manufacturing technology.

Prysmian Business Development Manager Emyr Thomas said: “This project typifies the turnkey service in which Prysmian excels. We are delighted to be associated with a project which is not only world-leading in its scale and vision but also represents such a significant investment in the region around our own manufacturing facility.”

Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm Project Director Toby Edmonds said: “High quality and reliable cables along the route and into the substation are absolutely critical to delivering the green energy benefits from this project into the UK. We were very impressed with Prysmian. The company was able to demonstrate excellent design and installation credentials and can manufacture the cable at its Wrexham facility, sustaining local jobs and investment.”

Construction of the €2billion Gwynt y Môr project began in November 2009 and is being built by RWE npower renewables. Once fully operational, energy generation from Gwynt y Môr is expected to be equivalent to the average annual needs of around 400,000 homes.