Although substantial studies have been performed on overhead line and cable, there is far fewer studies on the potential risk posed to interfaces within cable joints for high voltage (HV) cable systems.  There are significant cost and time associated with any cable repair, with the situation likely to worsen with an increasing number of cable installations and an ageing fleet of cable assets. The availability of a ‘Universal Joint’ would enable a package to be made available for a speedy cable repair solution that can promptly re-establish service in the event of a cable fault, this emergency return to service solution would greatly improve resilience of a fast-changing electricity infrastructure.  

Benefits

·     Financial: A universal repair approach reduces the expense of holding stock and saves time from acquisition of appropriate cable components and reduction in costs. Saving comes from circuit minute lost, spare holding (hold a lot of spares, maintenance of perishable items, procurement of non-perishable items), and criticality of asset. It is estimated by Pfisterer that a financial saving of £200k can be attained per repair of 400 kV cable. Moreover, installation can be completed within 3 man days instead of the several weeks required for a conventional repair. 

·     Environmental: This will minimise the maintenance repairs required and the need to store additional stocks for different cable types, thereby reduce carbon footprint. 

·     Skill Gap: <30 400 kV jointers in the UK certified and possess the skills to complete with various accessories and cable formats, a significant number of this workforce will disappear due to retirement. 

·     Flexibility: A plug-and-play solution that provides the flexibility for disconnection and reconnection in case of any non-fault related issues during the installation process.  

·     Technological: The technology developed in this project can be further developed to tackle other technical challenges with significant benefits (i.e. Y joint for river crossing).