Long-awaited power grid connection between Crete, Greek mainland finally completed

The government and Greece’s Independent Power Transmission Operator S.A. (IPTO or ADMIE) on Wednesday announced the completion of an undersea twin-cable connection linking Crete with the mainland’s electricity grid, a project first announced decades ago but only recently materialized.

The landing points for the connection are in Kissamos Bay (Crete) and the Malea peninsula (Peloponnese, extreme southeastern Greece).

The first tests were successful, the transmission operator announced.

The project consists of a 150 kV AC 2×200 MVA interconnection. The new submarine cables are of a length of 135 km each. Beyond the undersea portion, the project includes new transmission lines, underground cables and sub-stations in the Peloponnese and Crete, as well as a static synchronous compensator on Crete.

The connection is forecast to cover one-third of the large island’s power needs, replacing old-technology oil-fired generators.

The cost of the long-awaited project reaches 397 million euros, co-financed by the Greek state and the European Investment Bank (EIB).