EasyDC-FOS aims to boost the High Voltage power transmission industry by developing more efficient HVDC cables and fibre optic-based monitoring systems
The project, coordinated by Lumiker and funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, held its kick-off meeting on the 9th and 10th of September in Madrid gathering together its 13 consortium partners.
EasyDC-FOS focuses on the development of a new generation of high voltage direct current (HVDC) cables with reduced environmental impact, able to operate at voltages above 525 kV and paired with an intelligent monitoring system based on fibre optics and integrated in a cyber-secure digital environment.
The project is framed in a global geopolitical context of increasing uncertainty and volatility in energy supply where reducing external energy dependence is a priority for Europe. EasyDC-FOS will contribute to this objective by developing new HVDC cabling technologies that will boost Member States’ industrial capacities and strengthen the Smart Grids value chain, positioning Europe at the forefront in large-scale power transmission technology. Additionally, the project supports the challenging EU renewable energy targets under the European Green Deal. From 2021, the European Commission has driven an implementation plan for HVDC cabling technologies as part of its strategy to achieve climate neutrality targets, including the upgrading of electricity grids and the efficient integration of renewable energy sources across the EU. EasyDC-FOS will be a key pillar in strengthening Europe’s energy infrastructure and its ability to meet future demands.
The project will deliver and validate an HVDC cable prototype able to operate at a minimum of 400 kV and 90ºC with lower energy losses thanks to improved insulating materials, where testing will be performed to extrapolate insulation material behaviour to at least 640kV. This cable will be designed not only to be more energy efficient, but also to minimize its environmental impact. The prototype testing campaign will ensure that it meets the highest standards of performance, robustness and safety for its future integration into European electricity grids.
To ensure durability and reliability, advanced partial discharge (PD) measurement techniques will be implemented using passive fibre optic sensors in the 0 to 1 GHz frequency range, which will provide accurate, real-time data on the cable condition over time. From this data, predictive ageing models will be developed to anticipate and prevent future failures. Additionally, a vibration sensor based on fibre optics will be developed and integrated with DTS (Distributed Temperature Sensing) and DAS (Distributed Acoustic Sensing) solutions to continuously monitor the temperature, acoustic signals and vibrations of the system, thus enabling the development of cable capacity and fault location algorithms. These technological innovations will be integrated into a distributed edge infrastructure that will significantly strengthen the cybersecurity of the entire monitoring system, ensuring robust protection and a fast and efficient response to potential threats or vulnerabilities.
The project outcomes will be demonstrated and validated with support from Transmission System Operators (TSOs) at two sites in Norway and Denmark in 2027. The performance of the new HVDC cables and monitoring technologies will be assessed under real operating conditions, thus laying the groundwork for future large-scale deployment in the EU.
EasyDC-FOS is coordinated by Lumiker – leading developer of passive photonic sensor technology, fibre optics and monitoring solutions – and will be developed by a multidisciplinary team of 13 partners from 4 European countries, working closely together over the next three years. The consortium is completed by Nexans (leading HVDC cable manufacturer), Ampacimon (network monitoring solutions), AP Sensing (developer and manufacturer of distributed fibre optic sensing products), Energinet (Danish electricity and natural gas grid transmission operator), Statnett (Norwegian grid operator), Barbara (Edge computing platform for distributed and cybersecure device management), RDT Ingenieros (thermal and fluid dynamic simulation), GreenDelta (sustainability consultancy and software development), University of Cantabria (thermal modelling through finite element analysis and predictive maintenance of electrical assets), University of Valladolid (monitoring tools), Zabala (innovation consultants) and the Basque Energy Cluster (communication, dissemination and exploitation).