Prysmian Bets Big on Offshore Wind Cables

A cable giant expands its fleet and factories to ease bottlenecks in Europe’s green energy rollout

20 May 2025

Prysmian, the Italy-based cable manufacturer, has announced a significant expansion of its production and installation capacity to support Europe’s growing offshore wind sector and address persistent supply shortages.

In a statement in May, the company introduced a new cable-laying vessel, Monna Lisa, alongside plans to expand its production facility in Finland. Prysmian said the investment would help accelerate connections between offshore wind farms and national power grids, reducing project delays caused by limited subsea cable availability.

Europe is targeting 300 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2050, but developers have faced setbacks due to cable supply constraints and installation delays. Prysmian’s move is intended to allow for the simultaneous delivery of several large-scale projects, easing backlogs across the sector.

“The demand for more advanced and longer subsea cables is increasing as wind farms move further from shore,” Prysmian said. The company added that its expanded fleet would improve flexibility for energy providers and facilitate cross-border electricity flows, which are central to the European Union’s energy integration goals.

Other manufacturers, including France’s Nexans, are also increasing capacity, but analysts have warned that Europe’s subsea cable demand continues to exceed supply.

Prysmian’s investment comes despite ongoing risks to supply chains and cost pressures across the renewable energy industry. Industry groups have welcomed the expansion, noting it will strengthen the infrastructure needed to meet the EU’s 2030 climate goals and longer-term decarbonisation targets.

Prysmian said the Monna Lisa would be operational by 2025, adding to its existing fleet, and that expanded production in Finland would come online in the same period.