The Crete-Attica electrical interconnection has begun operating in a trial period successfully connecting the Crete to the Greek mainland. The 1 GW interconnection was constructed by IPTO’s subsidiary Ariadne Interconnection, with Nexans providing a 500 MW HVDC subsea cable system to form half of the bipole interconnection and Prysmian providing the other half of the interconnection, as well as two subsea telecom links. After a construction period of 4.5 years, the project’s converter stations were energized for the first time on May 21 and it officially entered operation on May 24. The trial operation phase is expected to last throughout the summer months.
The €1.1bn project ranks among the three deepest interconnections worldwide (1,200 m) and with a capacity of 1,000 MW leads in power transfer capacity for island systems, ensuring energy security for Crete and reducing about 500 ktCO2 of annual emissions.