Subsea Cable Design

Comparison between copper and aluminium conductors for medium and high voltage subsea cables for offshore windfarm projects

Company / Unternehmen: RWE Innogy GmbH
Speaker / Referent: Jan Jansen
Position: Project Engineer

Abstract:
This presentation compares the advantages and disadvantages of copper versus aluminium conductors for medium voltage subsea cables.
The current cable market of subsea cables offers different types of cables based on copper or aluminium conductors.
In the past, copper was preferred to aluminium due to the better electrical properties.

However, in the recent years the material price for copper increased much more than the aluminium material price during the same period.
The copper costs are currently three times more expensive than aluminium costs.

Considering these circumstances, cable designs based on an aluminium conductor become more and more attractive.
The evaluation considered all areas of the cable design, installation and operation throughout the life time.
A technical and commercial evaluation was done and the results will be presented.