Prysmian to install subsea power cables for ADNOC's artificial offshore island

Nov. 16, 2022
The scope of work includes laying a 134-km route of a DC submarine cable system.

Offshore staff

MILAN, Italy  Prysmian Group has awarded a €60 million (US$62.5 million) contract for laying submarine cables for the already secured Project Lighting HVDC 320 kV interconnection project in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). That interconnection project was awarded to Prysmian under a limited notice to proceed in January by Samsung C&T as part of its EPC consortium with Jan De Nul Group; the initial contract was worth €220 million (US$228.3 million).

Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) and Abu Dhabi National Energy Co. PJSC (TAQA) announced the successful financial closing of their $3.8 billion strategic project to power and significantly decarbonize ADNOC’s offshore production operations on Sept. 23.

The main purpose of this new HVDC link is to replace ADNOC’s current offshore power by a green onshore power source, reducing its environmental impact and CO2 emissions, in addition to supporting its objective to decarbonize its offshore production operations.

Offshore installation operations will be performed by the DP cable-laying vessel Leonardo da Vinci, with the shallow-water activities being performed by the cable-laying barge Ulisse. The Leonardo da Vinci vessel will ensure time efficiency and CO2 emission reduction, further confirming the company’s ability to execute complex and complete installation projects, according to Prysmian Group.

Under the ADNOC Lightning Project, Prysmian will design, supply, assemble and test a symmetrical monopole system consisting of four HVDC 320 kV single-core cables with XLPE insulation, along with fiber-optic cable systems, that will connect the Al Mirfa onshore converter station to Al Ghallan, an artificial offshore island in the Arabian Gulf, located off the Abu Dhabi coast in the UAE.

The project comprises both a subsea route of approximately 134 km of submarine HVDC cables, and onshore routes located at Al Mirfa and Al Ghallan Island totaling about 3.5 km of HVDC land cable route. The commissioning of the project is scheduled for 2025.

11.15.2022