Red Eléctrica begins submarine cable installation to link Spain and France

Red Eléctrica, the operator of the Spanish electricity system, has begun installing a submarine interconnection cable to link the Iberian Peninsula with France via the Bay of Biscay. Developed in collaboration with the French company RTE, the project aims to connect the two electrical systems through a combination of underground and undersea cables.

The project involves the installation of four submarine cables along with additional fiber optic lines. Works are scheduled to take place in various phases between this summer and the summer of 2027, spanning the Basque coast and the French coast near Bordeaux. To minimize environmental and landscape impact, the company utilized horizontal directional drilling to connect underground segments to the sea. The infrastructure will link the Basque coast to the Gatika converter station and the French coast to the Cubzanes converter station.