Malta-Sicily electricity interconnector nears completion

Construction of the second electricity interconnector between Malta and Sicily is nearing completion, with 92% of the 21-kilometre land cable route in Sicily already installed. Maltese Energy Minister Miriam Dalli reported significant progress during a site visit to the Ragusa terminal station, noting that only 1.7 kilometres of the underground cable remain to be laid.

To facilitate the connection, a 300-metre underground tunnel with an 800-millimetre bore diameter is being prepared near the Ragusa coast to allow the submarine cable to transition from the seabed to the land infrastructure. This method is intended to minimize environmental and coastal disruption.

Contractor Nexans has confirmed that the manufacturing of the submarine cable is complete. The cable is scheduled to be loaded for transport from Charleston in December, after which offshore cable-laying operations will commence. The project aims to double Malta’s electricity interconnection capacity with continental Europe by integrating the new link into the Italian electricity transmission network.