The electricity interconnection of Crete-Attica is being implemented faster than similar projects in other European countries, ADMIE sources report, citing comparative data as well as the construction progress of the project.

According to them, the schedule foresees the completion of construction works and the start of electrification at the end of this year and the project being fully operational in the summer of 2025 (following the necessary tests), five years after its contracting in the summer of 2020.

For example, the Montenegrin-Italy electrical interconnection took more than seven years to complete, while the German-Norway and United Kingdom-Norway electrical interconnections, projects of similar technology, required around six years from contracting to commercial operation.

Regarding the construction progress:

  • At the Conversion Station in Attiki (Koumoundouros) and at the other end of the interconnection (Damasta of Heraklion, Crete) the basic Civil Engineering projects concerning the main building facilities of the Station (AC to DC conversion area -Converter/DC Halls- and the control building) have almost complete. The work on the auxiliary buildings and the other work on shaping the exterior spaces are in a very advanced phase. In Koumoundouros the installation of the converter transformers has been completed and the installation of the critical electromechanical equipment in the Converter Hall area is underway. In Damasta, the transport and installation of the converter transformers will take place within February while preliminary work is being carried out to start installation of the critical electromechanical equipment.
  • With regard to the cable part of the interconnection, the installation and protection of the underwater ultra-high voltage cables along the entire length of the 336 km route from Attica to Crete was completed within 2023 (a total of 672 km of energy cables and 672 km of optical cables were installed fibers). Testing (after installation) of the energy cables has also been successfully completed recently.
  • With reference to the progress of the underground cable sections (32 and 13 km long in Attica and Crete respectively), in Attica the construction of the underground route from the Koumoundourou public transport network to the sealing point in Pachi is progressing intensively and 90% of the infrastructure has been completed and 70% of the wiring. In Crete, the progress of the road construction works for the 13 km long underground cables exceeds 60%. The infrastructure works for the underground cable sections are also at an advanced stage and the installation of the cables has begun.