The completion of the underwater section of the Crete-Attica electrical interconnection, with the laying and installation of all the 500 kV direct current technology submarine cables, was announced by ADMIE’s subsidiary company, Ariadni Interconnection, which implements the project.

According to the announcement, within 32 months from the signing of the contracts, in June 2020, Ariadni Interconnection laid a total of approximately 1,350 km of electric cables and optical fiber cables between Korakia of Heraklion and Pachi Megara. The depth of the installation at the bottom of the Aegean reached up to 1,200 meters from the sea surface, while the weight of the cables exceeds 40 kg per meter.

With the completion of the cable protection works, expected in the second quarter of 2023, 640 km will have been laid below the seabed surface for maximum safety.

A total of five specialized cable work vessels were used to lay the cables, including the two most modern cable laying vessels in the world, Aurora and Leonardo daVinci. It was preceded from October 2020 to May 2021 by a thorough seabed study by the contractor companies Prysmian and Nexans, and the optimal routing and protection of the cables was planned with both technical and environmental criteria.

“The electrical interconnection of Crete with Attica is the largest energy investment, amounting to 1 billion euros, currently being carried out in the country, with which ADMIE will fully integrate Crete into the continental electricity transmission system, by the end of 2024 “, emphasizes the Administrator