Improving Subsea Power Cable Reliability – Insights from ESCA Plenary #64
Earlier this month, Waves Group’s Subsea Cable Specialist, Richard Hill, joined industry peers in Sicily for the European Subsea Cables Association (ESCA) Plenary Meeting No. 64, where he presented on “Improving Subsea Power Cable Reliability.”
Drawing on extensive experience across offshore wind and interconnector projects, Richard highlighted why subsea cables remain one of the most critical and costly—elements of offshore energy infrastructure. Despite perceptions that most faults arise from external aggression such as anchors or fishing activity, industry data shows that the majority of failures in UK Offshore Wind HVAC cables are preventable, often caused by issues in design, manufacturing, or installation.
The financial stakes are significant: cables now account for over 80% of offshore wind insurance claim costs, with export cable failures reaching up to €100 million. Richard’s presentation emphasised that many of these risks can be mitigated through better cable handling, improved multidisciplinary engineering practices, and robust record-keeping throughout a project’s lifecycle.
He also explored the exciting potential of fibre optic sensing technologies, which provide real-time monitoring of cable health, strain, and temperature. These innovations are already proving valuable in telecoms and oil & gas, and their adoption across offshore wind could transform how the industry detects, responds to, and prevents costly failures.
As the offshore energy sector accelerates towards a net zero future, Richard underlined the importance of teamwork across disciplines, rigorous standards, and smarter engineering support. His insights reinforce Waves Group’s commitment to helping clients improve reliability, reduce costs, and extend the life of subsea power assets.
“Teamwork makes the dream work” – but when it comes to subsea cables, collaboration backed by data and innovation is what will keep the world connected and the lights on.
