May 25 (Renewables Now) - Hellenic Cables on Monday announced the electrification of the Crete-Peloponnese interconnection, designed to bring clean power to Greece’s largest island and help replace its polluting power plants.

The project was assigned by Greece’s Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO).

According to Hellenic Cables, a division of Belgium's Cenergy Holdings SA (EBR:CENER), the 178-km (110.6 m) submarine and underground link, the first subsea interconnection connecting Crete to the mainland, is the world’s longest cable HVAC interconnection and the deepest one. Cables were installed at water depths of up to 1,000 m.

Hellenic Cables was responsible for the design, supply and installation of a 150-kV composite submarine and underground cable system. It was awarded two lots of the interconnection in 2018. Italian cable provider Prysmian (BIT:PRY) was also engaged to provide a 135-km HVAC cable system for the two-cable project.

The total cost of the project was EUR 380 million (USD 464m), according to IPTO.

“The future of energy transition in Greece passes through the sea and, with this project, IPTO proves that it owns the know-how necessary to meet the most demanding electrical interconnection projects to be implemented in the country in the years to come,” IPTO chairman and chief executive Manos Manousakis said in the statement.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.220)

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