While the high-voltage submarine cable sector remains a niche market, underwater power transmission is becoming more prevalent in the infrastructure plans of countries around the world.
The current push for more readily available renewable power has created new opportunities – for grid interconnections and connecting offshore wind farms to nearby landmasses, for example – and grid operators are turning to submarine power transmission cables to help supplement or replace aging and inadequate grid infrastructures. According to a recent report from Pike Research, submarine transmission cable projects will increase from just over 60 worldwide in 2011 to more than 350 cables by 2020, placing significant pressure on the existing industry.