It’s a simple but interesting question: why do underwater power cables cost so much?
Repairs of underwater power cables is also an extremely complicated task. Image credit: U.S. National Archives & DVIDS, Public Domain
Underwater cables, sometimes also called submarine cables, are important to all of us. They provide power to remote locations, interconnect energy grids and offshore power plants with energy consumers, transmit tons of data through optical fibers. Thus no wonder these cables lying on the bottom of the ocean floor need to be very resistant to many possible sources of damage, while also meet high quality and functionality standards.
Many advanced underwater power cable designs are quite expensive, and their price may reach 400 dollars per foot. Considering that tens of miles of them are needed even for relatively simple purposes, the total project cost increases substantially. So what is the secret, why do these cables cost so much? The answer is provided in the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcrCTZ_EDc0
