Work complete on undersea power cable linking mainland with Crete, Greece says

Published on 26/05/2025 - 21:17 GMT+2

Greece has said it has completed activity connected an undersea powerfulness cablegram connecting nan mainland to nan land of Crete, a cardinal measurement successful its ambitious plan for a wider description of nan grid that will yet see Cyprus and Israel.

The €1 cardinal nexus spanning 330 kilometres was plugged successful connected Saturday and is expected to beryllium afloat operational this summer, Greece’s grid usability said.

The project, for which nan European Union provided nan bulk of backing done grants and loans, intends to bolster power diversification after after Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine.

Athens hopes to widen nan link, dubbed nan Great Sea Interconnector, to Cyprus and Israel by nan extremity of nan decade.

The task is besides a move towards Crete being capable to switch fossil fuel-based powerfulness procreation pinch renewables, authorities officials said.

"Crete is becoming a cardinal pillar for nan country’s power transition," Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou said.

"We're moving guardant pinch nan improvement of an integrated web of electrical interconnections, strengthening our state arsenic a strategical power hub successful nan Eastern Mediterranean."

However, nan wider task has been analyzable by financial disagreements and an ongoing maritime conflict pinch Turkey.

Greece and Egypt besides want to establish a abstracted undersea nexus connected a akin timetable that would bypass nan land of Crete and link straight to nan Greek mainland.

The undersea cables to Crete person been laid astatine a extent of 1,200 metres and will support a capacity of 1,000 megawatts utilizing high-voltage nonstop existent transmission systems.

Supervised by a subsidiary of Greece’s Independent Power Transmission Operator, nan task progressive backstage contractors Siemens Energy of Germany, Greek building patient TERNA and nan Italy-based Prysmian Group cablegram company, among others.