Strait of Belle Isle

About the project

In 2013, Nalcor Energy awarded Nexans a contract in excess of 80 million Euros for a submarine high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The contract included the manufacture, supply and laying of approximately 100 km of subsea HVDC cable and accessories to interconnect Labrador and Newfoundland, via the Strait of Belle Isle, which delivers power from Muskrat Falls in Labrador to the island of Newfoundland.

The Nexans submarine HVDC cable form part of the new HVDC transmission link, rated at 900 MW and has a total length of 1,100 km. A key purpose and rationale for this transmission link is to put in place infrastructure to bring power from Labrador to the island portion of the province to meet the growing electricity needs in the province.

Nexans' solution

Nexans supplied three lengths of mass impregnated submarine power cables rated at 350 kilovolt (kV), with an integrated fibre optic element; three underground cables used for the land connections at each side of the strait and accessories comprising joints, spares and terminations.