Saving environmental impact of electrical energy transmission by employing existing/planned transport corridors

This paper deals with the development of a procedural approach for analysing the compatibility between high voltage alternating current (HVAC)/high voltage direct current (HVDC) power cables and existing/future structures by taking advantage of railway and highway transports. Several critical issues have been deeply analysed in order to ensure a reliable and safe operation of power cables hosted in railway/highway structures. The paper offers a perspective synergy that will have to be considered more and more in future electric networks due to the reduction of energy corridors. After a first assessment of the geometrical compatibility between insulated cables and hosting structures, the paper focuses on the fire behaviour of high voltage cables inside structures, some notes on the maximum length of HVAC cable link without the use of shunt reactive compensation and on the electromagnetic compatibility.