PALMA
ONE of the longest underwater electricity cables in the world is going to connect Majorca with the mainland by 2010.
The announcement was made yesterday by Ramon Granadino, the director of the national power grid here in the Balearics.
The project is going to cost at least 375 million euros and will involve the laying of 237 kilometres of high tension cable between Santa Ponsa in Calvia and the Morvedre power station near Sagunto in Valencia.
The project is currently up for public scrutiny, but Granadino explained yesterday that the double link will serve to significantly boost the capacity of the Balearic power grid and the quality of the service provided.
What is more, the new link will help to reduce the number of power cuts, the second cable will act as a back-up-connection in the event of a fault, and also cut the carbon emissions by at least 1.2 tons annually.
The ambitious project is the first of its kind in Spain and will be one of only a handful in the world, and the second longest, once completed by 2010 - provided there are no unforeseen delays Granadino (pictured above at yesterday's presentation) added. Two new sub-stations will have to be built in Santa Ponsa and Morvedre before the 237-kilometre cables weighing 6'700 tons in total are laid as one piece.
In order to not interrupt fishing and maritime transport between the Balearics and the mainland, the bulk of the work will be carried out by engineers working in shifts round-the-clock during the winter.
The electricity ink will be similar to the one between Long Island and New Jersey in the United States and the connection between Australia and Tasmania.
Only the underwater electricity link between Italy and Sardinia is deeper than the Majorcan cable.
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