What are the key causes of cable degradation?
Posted: Monday, April 7th, 2025
Cable degradation is gradually becoming a significant issue in the electrical sector. To address this issue, Thomas Nagy and Paul Meenan invited Deborah Graham-Wilson of Eland Cables to shed light on the reasons behind this phenomenon. She discusses in depth the quality assurance process, the impact of transportation, the location where cables are made, and how to assess the quality of electrical cables. She also provides insight into how cable quality is evaluated and implemented. Deborah defines substandard cables as those that fail to meet compliance standards. 'Many of these non-compliances are not visible to the naked eye, such as a millimetre difference in insulation thickness, a tear in the sheathing material (which could have occurred during transportation), or oxidation of a copper conductor due to storage without a NCAP." She also adds that any cable that doesn't last its average lifespan (25 years) is substandard. Cables should be stored according to their purpose to last longer. Heat, water, and climate also contribute to degradation. Making a point about transportation, Deborah notes that cables coming from Egypt, for example, have lower logistical emissions (because they're shipped) than those being transported across Europe by road. She concludes by saying that, on the whole, you can be confident in the cables you install. "It's just the sheer volume of cables being installed for the digitalisation and electrification projects that means a small percentage of cables are substandard or non-compliant." Do your own due diligence, she says. "Store them properly once they arrive on site." Listen to the full podcast here
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