Life cycle assessment of underground cables

The actual context of the energy transition is leading to the increase of renewable energy, but as a consequence, to larger investments on electricity transmission systems. While knowledge and research about environmental consequences of systems for power generation is abundant, data and available studies on environmental impacts for power transmission systems are somehow limited. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a tool for the systematic evaluation of the environmental aspects of a product or service system through all stages of its life cycle. LCA provides an adequate instrument for environmental decision support. The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), a world-wide federation of national standards bodies, has standardised this framework within the series ISO 14040 on LCA. The main phases of an LCA are: - Goal and Scope - Inventory Analysis - Impact Assessment - Interpretation By carrying out LCA of underground cables, grid system operators and cable manufacturers can evaluate and quantify the impacts of the cables during the different phases of their life cycle. They are able to identify the phases whose impacts are prevalent. Consequently, they can launch R&D programs to improve environmental performance of cables. Moreover, grid system operators can integrate eco-design criteria in purchase specifications to select contractors or cable manufacturers. LCA is commonly used to orientate decision makers (political, companies, competent authorities...). LCA studies of underground cable can be used to: - improve one given technology (for instance by identifying ways to reduce losses during operation phase); - compare different solutions or system (for instance underground cable versus over headline); - perform a study on the impact of new marine renewable energy, taking into account the connection to the electricity transmission system; - perform a broader study on the benefits/impacts of energy transition, taking into account the indirect effects on the electricity transmission system. Indeed, the energy transition involves more and more renewable energies and in order to give maximum value to these new power sources, the network needs some improvements and developments.