Borealis awarded for contribution to cables in single European energy market

Borealis has received a Product Leadership Award in the Power Cable Materials Industry from Frost and Sullivan.

Based on a recent analysis of the power cable materials industry, Frost and Sullivan has recognised Borealis with the 2017 European Product Leadership Award for its power cable solutions, owing to a project by the European Commission aiming to connect at least ten per cent of domestically produced power to neighbours, advancing Europe as a single energy market.

The plan is answering Europe’s need for high-capacity power transmission over longer distances - energy industry participants require efficient transmission with higher voltages, making a need for innovative cables and extruded insulation and jacketing systems.

Although some countries such as Turkey still use PVC and polyethylene power cables, major parts of European distribution and transmission system operators have a clear preference for crosslinked low-density polyethylene-based materials (XLPE) for power cable insulation systems and polyethylene for jacketing.

Cables with XLPE insulation and PVC jacketing pose a recycling challenge that is best addressed with the use of monopolymers such as XLPE insulation and PE jacketing.

Sayan Mukherjee, Frost and Sullivan senior research analyst said: “Utility companies also tend to base their purchase decisions on the total cost of ownership, considering functionality and durability rather than just the cost of the cable system.

“Therefore, cable material manufacturers need to ensure that their products provide the optimal cost of ownership, which means developing cable systems focused on efficiency, effectiveness, and recyclability.”