Prysmian awarded new €125M project for first submarine cable interconnection between the island of Crete and mainland Greece

The contract will be finalised within 2018, following the customary approvals from the authorities involved.

The project is the first submarine electricity interconnection between the Greek island and the mainland and involves the design, supply, installation and commissioning of an HVAC (High Voltage Alternating Current) cable system composed of 150 kV three-core cables with XLPE insulation and double-wire armouring. The route extends to 135 km, reaching depth of installation up to 950 metres.

The submarine cables will be produced at the plant in Arco Felice (Naples) and will be installed at sea by the vessel Giulio Verne, which forms part of the Group’s proprietary fleet and is among the most technologically advanced in the world. Delivery and commissioning are scheduled for 2020.

This new project, which follows the contract signed in 2014 with IPTO for the submarine connection between the island of Syros (Cyclades) and the Lavrion energy transmission system, in the Greek mainland, confirms the Group’s role and commitment as a key player in submarine connections in Europe, and in particular in the Mediterranean area, where Prysmian was recently awarded a contract for two interconnections between the Cyclades islands of Evia, Andros and Tinos, also commissioned by IPTO.

In the Mediterranean region, the Group has a strong track record of important submarine connections, including Italy-Greece, Sardinia-Italian Peninsula (SA.PE.I), two interconnections between Spain and Morocco, two projects in the Balearic Islands (Iberian Peninsula-Mallorca and Ibiza-Mallorca), the Cyclades project in Greece, the Capri-Torre Annunziata and Capri-Sorrento connections in Italy and the Dardanelles link in Turkey.