Nexans has completed a world-record subsea cable installation at a depth of 2,150 metres (7,054ft), marking a major milestone for Italy’s Tyrrhenian Link project.

The record was set during an offshore campaign in December, confirming the deepest installation ever achieved for a 500 kV high-voltage direct current subsea cable.

The final offshore milestone was sealed on 1 January 2026 with the second pull-in operation, physically connecting cable landing points in Sardinia and Sicily and completing all high-voltage subsea laying works.

Nexans’ scope covered the western section of the project, involving around 480km (298 miles) of deep-water subsea cable laid across two offshore campaigns of roughly 200km (124 miles) and 280km (174 miles).

The full Tyrrhenian Link consists of two 500 kV HVDC subsea connections, each stretching about 970km (603 miles), with a combined transmission capacity of 1,000MW.

The interconnector is designed to strengthen Italy’s national transmission grid, improve system resilience and support the integration of renewable power between mainland Italy, Sicily and Sardinia.

Pascal Radue, Executive Vice President PWR-Transmission at Nexans, said: “Setting a world record at 2,150 metres and completing the high-voltage subsea cable installation phase of the Tyrrhenian Link are defining achievements for Nexans.”

He said installing a 500 kV HVDC cable at such depths demanded exceptional precision across engineering, manufacturing and vessel operations.

The record underlines the growing technical reach of deep-water transmission as grids push further offshore and across longer distances.