PRYSMIAN AND E.ON JOIN FORCES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORE EFFICIENT POWER GRIDS

ACCELERATION OF THE ENERGY TRANSITION IN GERMANY AND STRENGTHENING OF ENERGY SECURITY AS THE KEY PRIORITIES

• LONG-TERM FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT FOR LOW AND MEDIUM VOLTAGE CABLES
• USE OF RECYCLED MATERIALS WITH A CARBON FOOTPRINT THAT IS 80% LOWER THAN TRADITIONAL MATERIALS
• ALUMINIUM PRODUCED WITH REDUCED-CO₂ PROCESS STRONGLY CONTRIBUTES TO THE OVERALL CLIMATE-FRIENDLY FOOTPRINT

Prysmian and E.ON – one of Europe's largest energy companies and one of the playmakers of energy’s green transformation – join forces in the development of more efficient and greener power grids in Germany, with a long-term framework agreement for Low and Medium Voltage cables that will be integrated into the German grid to support the expansion of wind and solar, the roll-out of electric vehicles and heat pumps, and the connection of battery storage systems and data centres.

The agreement forms part of a major procurement initiative launched by E.ON and worth more than €6 billion to help modernize Germany’s power Grid and accelerate the country’s energy transition.

USE OF RECYCLED MATERIALS AND GREEN ALUMINIUM AND WHY IT MATTERS

The energy transition requires more than 500,000 km of cables to be used by 2045 for the expansion and modernization of the German grid — a distance that would stretch 12.5 times around the Earth – with the use of a significant amount of materials like aluminium, copper and polyethylene, which can be made more sustainable through technical innovation.

Prysmian and E.ON joint efforts focus strongly on taking steps towards sustainability by using climate-friendly materials and leveraging production in Europe, mainly in Prysmian’s plants located in Germany (Schwerin), Hungary (Balassagyarmat) and Romania (Slatina).

Cables use for their outer sheath up to 50% high-quality recycled polyethylene (PE) that has a reduced carbon footprint by up to 80% compared to virgin material. Additionally, around 80% of the aluminium used by Prysmian comes from CO₂-reduced production. Last but not least is the use of local energy solutions such as PV or biogas for a sustainable production process.

Cinzia Farisè, EVP Power Grid Prysmian, said: “We are honoured to be chosen as partners by E.ON in their accelerated efforts towards the upgrade and expansion of their power distribution grid.”

Marcello Del Brenna, CEO Prysmian Europe said: “Power grids are critical for the energy transition and Prysmian is ready to help Europe meet the urgent need to develop intelligent power grid infrastructure in order to accommodate integration of renewable energy sources, installation of heat pumps, residential electricity storage systems, and charging stations and grant sustainable secure and affordable energy supplies.”

Benjamin Ferlay, Europe R&D SVP at Prysmian said: "This initiative underlines our commitment to a circular economy and drives the transformation towards sustainable infrastructure. Together with E.ON, we are setting standards for environmentally conscious energy solutions."

Lisbeth Buschkühl, Chief Procurement Officer at E.ON, adds: "Cables are traditionally—and will continue to be—one of the most important technology requirements in the grid. As the playmaker of the energy transition, we set impulses for the sustainable expansion of the infrastructure for the necessary transformation—without losing sight of affordability. We look forward to developing innovative cable solutions with Prysmian and putting them into practice. This strengthens value creation in Europe and supports the business location."