EuroAsia Interconnector announced it has awarded Nexans a €1.43-billion contract for the construction and installation of the HVDC Cable Systems linking Cyprus and Greece, implementing a crucial milestone in the construction course of this strategic project, aiming to connect the national electricity grids of Israel, Cyprus and Greece.

According to the company, the interconnector will deliver up to 2,000 MW of energy at stage 2 to Europe and will be the largest submarine electricity interconnector in history, supplying over 3 million homes with electricity.

“The Nexans submarine cable contract, valued at €1.43 billion, sets multiple world records including the longest and deepest HVDC cables ever laid, each with a length of 900 km that will be supplied and installed by Nexans Aurora and Nexans Skagerrak submarine cable laying vessels, and run across the Mediterranean seabed at depths down to 3,000 meters,” EuroAsia said.

Paris-based Nexans is considered as a leader in the design and manufacturing of cable systems and services.

As a critical part of EuroAsia Interconnector to interconnect the electricity grids of Greece, Israel and Cyprus, the 525kV high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable will be the longest and deepest interconnector in the world with a bi-pole length of 2x900 km, and will run across the Mediterranean sea floor at depths of over 3,000 meters, EuroAsia added, noting that the subsea HVDC Mass Impregnated cables will be manufactured in Nexans’ facilities in Halden (Norway) and Futtsu (Japan) and will be installed by the state-of-the-art cable laying vessels Nexans Aurora and Nexans Skagerrak.

At Stage One, the EuroAsia Interconnector will exchange 1,000 MW between Israel, Cyprus and Greece with Europe, with the capability of increasing at Stage Two to 2,000 MW, the equivalent to 3 million households’ electricity consumption. This will end the energy isolation of all Cyprus and Israel, creating security supply and an energy highway between Europe and Asia. Pole One is expected to be completed in 2028 and Pole Two in 2029.

“We are proud that after 12 years of hard work the world’s longest and deepest subsea HVDC electricity interconnector built by Nexans will put Cyprus on the world energy map, while also ending the energy isolation of Cyprus, the last non-interconnected EU member state, and Israel. The EuroAsia Interconnector Israel-Cyprus-Greece electricity interconnector is a leading European project of common interest PCI 3.10 that ends the energy isolation of Cyprus and Israel, creates security of supply, significantly reduces the CO2 emissions, and serves the “Green Deal” of the European Commission,” said Nasos Ktorides, CEO of EuroAsia Interconnector.

On his part, Christopher Guérin, CEO of Nexans, said “this record-breaking project demonstrates our capacity to innovate and push the limits of electrical transmission and distribution to meet an ever growing global need. This is a crucial step on the path to a carbon-free economy. Nexans’ global electrification strategy is playing a key role in the world’s journey to a net zero future and we are excited that we have been selected to bring the development of the EuroAsia Interconnector to life.”

IPTO, Transmission System Operator of Greece, has been providing technical and operational capacity to the project ensuring the successful implementation.

EuroAsia Interconnector is a 2,000MW multi-terminal interconnection which connects the national electricity grids of lsrael, Cyprus and Greece (Crete) with Europe. EuroAsia Interconnector is the longest, at 1,208km and deepest, up to 3,000m, HVDC interconnector in the world. lt ends the energy isolation of Cyprus, ensures security of supply for lsrael, Cyprus and Greece and creates a reliable green interconnector for Europe. It significantly reduces CO2 emissions and serves the vision of the European Commission’s “Green Deal".

EuroAsia Interconnector is a leading European Project of Common Interest (PCl) and was included in all five Union lists of PCls since 2013. lt is labelled as an EU “electricity highway”, interconnecting Europe with Asia. Following the approval of the CEF Grant of €658 million by the European financing mechanism “Connecting Europe Facility” and €100 million by the Recovery and Resilience Fund, EuroAsia Interconnector proceeds to the construction phase.