Prysmian has been awarded a new contract by Jersey Electricity (UK) for the “Normandie 1” project to provide electricity to Jersey in the Channel Islands from the French mainland.

The project involves the turn-key supply and installation of a High Voltage Alternate Current (HVAC) cable connection from France (Surville) to Jersey (Archirondel) comprising of 28 km of 90 kV 3-core cable in a single length as well as related network components and specialist jointing works.

Prysmian will provide design, supply and commissioning of the submarine and land cable connections as part of a larger contract worth almost € 28 million, awarded to the consortium between Prysmian and VBMS. VBMS will perform the marine cable laying operations, including protection and landfall activities.

The submarine cable will replace the existing obsolete Normandie 1 interconnector and its 100 MW capacity will be shared by both Jersey and Guernsey islands under the CIEG (Channel Islands Electricity Grid) partnership agreement, which is the vehicle through which the local utilities procure power from EDF in France.

The submarine cables for the Normandie 1 link will be produced in the Arco Felice plant (Italy), the Group’s centre of technological and manufacturing excellence. Project completion is scheduled in October 2016.

The link will complement the existing interconnectors to provide the Channel Islands with a significant increase in their power import capability from France mainland. The award follows the successful completion of the Normandie 3 link, also provided by Prysmian, in 2014, as part of a significant 10 year investment program by Jersey Electricity in their transmission network infrastructure.