Norway’s Nexans was on 19 July awarded a key €1.43bn ($1.6bn) turnkey contract for engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) of a 525kV high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable which will link the grids of Cyprus and Greece as part of the ambitious EuroAsia Interconnector project.

The 900km bi-polar cables, “the longest and deepest interconnector in the world… at depths of over 3000ms,” form the first phase of broader plans to extend the link to Israel. Working teams have been set up in Cyprus and Israel to discuss the latter link later this month (MEES, 7 July). “The EuroAsia Interconnector will exchange up to 1,000 MW among the three nations with the capability of increasing to 2,000 MW,” Nexans says. (CONTINUED - 130 WORDS)