- The new interconnection will enable Crete’s renewable energy transition by providing a one gigawatt (GW) link between the island Crete and Greece’s mainland network.
- Nexans designed and manufactured and will lay 335 kilometers of subsea HVDC cable at water depths down to 1,200 meters.
- Contract value exceeds €220m and is part of Nexans’ current €1.6bn order backlog for subsea cable projects.
Nexans has been awarded a major contract to design, manufacture and install a 335km subsea high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable system for Ariadne Interconnection S.P.S.A, owned 100 percent by IPTO, Greece’s state grid operator. The interconnection will link the electricity network on mainland Greece to Crete. The project will provide security of supply for the island and enables the transition from fossil fuel generation to renewable wind and solar energy resources. Nexans’ new cable-laying vessel (CLV) Nexans Aurora has begun installing the 500 kV HVDC subsea interconnector cable between the island of Crete and mainland Greece.
Crete is the largest of the Greek islands, with a population of around 700,000 people. It also attracts over 4 million visitors a year, mainly during the summer. The island currently relies mainly on out-dated fossil fuel generation. The new submarine cable interconnection will ensure that Crete has a reliable power supply essential for its future prosperity. The interconnection will also reduce emissions, making the island even more attractive to tourists, and also helping it to develop its own renewable energy resources by enabling excess generation to be exported back to the mainland.
