The Greek Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) has commissioned a power interconnection between the island of Crete and the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece. The new 150 kV AC interconnection has a transmission capacity of 2x200 MVA and construction was achieved in April 2021.
The €380 transmission line is part of a larger €1bn project that includes a 135 km high-voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine line with a capacity of 500 MW between Attica (mainland Greece) and Crete, which should be commissioned in 2023. This Crete-Attica power interconnection is part of the Euro-Asia Interconnector project, a 1,000-2,000 MW subsea HVDC line between Greece, Cyprus and Israel. Earlier in a March 2021, the European Investment Bank (EIB) approved a €200m loan agreement with the option to extend funding by €100m for the Ariadne Interconnection, to IPTO.