Management of end-of-life electrical components: Recent developments with ENEL S.p.A.

The paper deals with the recent developments achieved within ENEL S.p.A. in the field of management of electrical components which have reached the end of their design life. In particular, two main lines of action are considered, namely: the study of the possibility to extend the service life beyond the design end-of-life, thus postponing the replacement of the component, and the management of the component once its replacement is deemed necessary. In this respect the possibility to recycle the constituting materials are analyzed. In order to better illustrate the approach adopted, special reference is made to the practical case of power cables. Some indication is also given about the future trends and the points that require further investigation.