A high voltage direct current (HVDC) underground cable system interconnecting France and Spain has been inaugurated.
Italian cable firm Prysmian carried out the €90m INELFE project o behalf of the Spanish grid operator, Red Electrica de España (REE), and its French counterpart Réseau de Transport d'Électricité (RTE).
The project included a 320kV extruded HVDC underground cable and two 1000MW bipolar circuits along a 64km land route, with 8.6km in a purpose-built tunnel throughout the Pyrenees.
It connects substations in Baixas, near Perpignan in France, and Santa Llogaia, near Figueres in Spain.
Prysmian manufactured the cables at its facility in Gron, France.
Prysmian said INELFE was classified as a priority project by the European Union (EU) and was intended to increase the transmission capacity between France and Spain, to enhance diversification of sources and security of supply, as well as electricity market integration in South-West Europe. The project will increase grid system stability and support the utilization of renewable energy in Spain.
More information and source : Energy Infrastructure
