Subsea electricty cable will be a world record breaker

ONCE completed, the subsea electricity cable link between Santa Ponsa and the mainland will be the longest ever single piece of cable used for a subsea interconnection. It will also be the second deepest in the world, reaching 1'485m below sea level, and will make up the first HVDC subsea connection in Spain. The connection will consist of two 250kV DC cables and one return cable, jointly manufactured by Nexans and Prysmian as part of a 375million euro contract awarded by Red Electrica. Initially, the link will provide around 25 per cent of the electricity consumed on the islands. Laying of the first cable began in mid-January and now the engineers are getting ready for the second leg, where it will lay the cable from Santa Ponsa to the coast of Sagunto near Valencia. With only two vessels able to do the job, the engineers are under a strict deadline to get the cables under water before holidaymakers hit the beaches.