Spain's inter-island power link project gets enviro approval

Spanish grid operator Red Electrica de Espana (REE) said on Wednesday it had received environmental approval for the project aimed at building a power link in the Canary Islands.

The declaration of environmental impact was greenlit by the Canary Islands government, clearing the path for REE to seek other permits for the submarine interconnection between Tenerife and La Gomera islands.

The link will improve efficiency and security of the power supply on both islands and contribute to the installation of more green energy, especially on the tiny, but sunny and windy La Gomera, REE said.

The interconnection is also expected to reduce generation costs for the Canary Islands power system as a whole and make it possible to operate Tenerife and La Gomera as a single system. It will also enable La Gomera to produce more renewable energy than it consumes and export the surplus.

The two islands will be connected with a 66-kV double-circuit submarine cable laid at a depth of 1,145 metres (3,756 ft) The submarine section will be about 36-kilometres (22.4 miles) long. Italy’s Prysmian SpA (BIT:PRY) won the contract to supply the cabling solution for this project.

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