This project is concerned with the development of a novel technique for the remote inspection and monitoring of partial discharge events in high voltage cable systems using an optical network. The measurement mechanism uses the capacitive coupler-measured PD signal and applies it across an electro-optic modulator (EOM), which modulates the intensity of the transmitted laser light as an approximately linear function of the voltage applied across it. The optical network supplies polarised laser light via optical fiber to the EOM input, and monitors the optical output from the modulator using an high speed optical receiver. The EOM is compact and passive requiring no power to operate.