The new 60-kilometer subsea high-voltage cable that connects the Greek island of Folegandros with Santorini and Naxos has been energized and is now part of the mainland power grid, the Greek electricity grid operator Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) reported.
The link is part of the Southern Cyclades electrical interconnection project, whose construction was completed early this summer, connecting Santorini, Folegandros, Milos and Serifos to the mainland power system via Attica.
The Southern Cyclades project marks the fourth and final phase of the program that aims to reshape the energy infrastructure of the Cyclades. With a total budget of €385.7 million, the project includes 294 kilometers of high-voltage submarine and underground cables and four fully digital gas-insulated substations (GIS).
The substation constructed to supply Folegandros with electricity is one of the four that incorporate the GIS technology.
"The interconnection of the Southern Cyclades, which completes the integration of the island group into the high-voltage grid, was a technically complex project that enhanced IPTO's expertise. With the energization of the interconnections for Santorini, Milos, and Serifos in the coming period, we are closing another major chapter of energy projects in the Aegean," said IPTO's Chairman and CEO Manos Manousakis on October 19.
The project is co-funded by the EU through the Greece 2.0 Recovery and Resilience Facility and is also financed through loans from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and additional resources from the RRF.