Understanding,measuring, mitigating technical risks for new cable technologies

Evaluating the technical risk in a more systematic and effective way is of crucial importance beginning at the early design stage of any large project. In this paper an innovative approach to technical risk assessment for large cable projects is proposed, in particular for HVDC and submarine applications, adapting and enhancing the existing methods in literature and other industries. The method, Technological Readiness Risk Assessment (TRRA), is based on the Technological Readiness Levels (TRL), revised for cable systems. TRL and TRRA are well-known and have been in use in many industries for decades. This paper describes how the adapted TRRA allows Prysmian to assess and highlight the technical risks associated with innovative elements in cable systems in an effective way. As this method gives a clear and recognized output for engineers and decisions makers, the TRRA is also a driver for setting mitigating actions and kickstarting the technology qualification process.