Planet, performance, service. 10.000 km of P-Laser produced

Prysmian has reached the important milestone of 10.000 km of P-Laser MV cable produced in the Italian factory of Pignataro Maggiore. The cables have been produced and successfully installed for the Italian utility ENEL, as a confirmation of the positive market response to this new technology.

P-Laser is a demonstration of Prysmian’s commitment to innovation: it represents the culmination of years of in-depth R&D and a significant step forward in cabling technology.

P-Laser cable represents the " future of power distribution":

  •  P-Laser is manufactured using thermoplastic materials and it is totally eco-friendly: 500kg of high-quality plastics can be recovered from every kilometer of cable. Moreover, its innovative production process can benefit from a “zero-gas technology” that reduces CO2 emissions by around 1 tonne/km
P-Laser is capable of performing at higher temperatures than traditional cabling: increased operating temperature range by over 20%. In a world of increasing demand where energy can now be derived from wind, solar or hydro-electric sources, distribution networks require cabling that can deal with fluctuating demand: P-Laser is the solution
  •  P-Laser’s use of thermoplastic means a more efficient, fully integrated production process. Degassing is no longer required and the possibility of uninterrupted, single-line production significantly streamlines the supply chain. Customers receive the cable they need, faster and in a form that’s fully compatible with their existing networks
  •  P-Laser provides superior performance and reliability over existing cables, optimizes supply chain processes, reduces total cost of ownership and allows the power distribution industry to operate more sustainably: P-Laser is the "future of power distribution"

Massimo Comina, Prysmian Head of Power Distribution Business, underlines the unique characteristics of this innovative eco-sustainable power distribution cable for the utilities sector.

P-Laser campaign's pay-off is "the future of power distribution": isn't this an out-of-date statement after having produced 10.000 km of cables?

Prysmian looks to the future that becomes reality: this is the case of the P-Laser implementation in Italy that started more than five years ago, mainly through Enel. If you consider that, in the last 18 months, Pignataro factory produced 7000 km, you can appreciate the investment and the acceleration given to this product. Thereafter, we started investing in both The Netherlands and UK. Spain is also very much interested, not only for the relationship between Enel and Endesa (now they are the same Company), but also for Iberdrola that is very sensitive on what is considered eco-sustainable.

Innovation, generally speaking, can last long or it can be copied fast: which is the situation for P-Laser?
P-Laser is a new concept, as was XLPE in the late 70's against Paper Insulated Lead Cables (PILC) and is now covered by several patents. Prysmian, as the leader in Cables Manufacturing, is continually innovating: an easy stripping semiconductive version for the Spanish market is now a reality, an EPR-like P-Laser version is under testing, VDE test is ongoing for 6 months, higher gradients have already been achieved (30 kV) and we plan to further extend this technology to higher tension (110 and 150 kV), into the High Voltage Business segment.

Key pillars of P-Laser's innovative offer are superior performance, green technology, streamline production process: what are the positive impacts to the Customers?

Every Utility has its own needs to focus on. Superior performance allows the network to run at higher temperature and, therefore, reduces electrical breakdowns. A shorter throughput time, due to the absence of a degassing phase, assists in serving the Customer faster and better. Green technology is even a more key topic: total recyclability of insulation compound makes this product 100% eco-sustainable. Moreover, the production process reduces total CO2 emissions. These three elements are the key drivers that make P-laser a tailor-made solution for each Customer.