Red Eléctrica de España (REE) has concluded in Formentera and is finalising in Ibiza the execution of the first phase of the civil works planned for 2021-2022 regarding the route of the land section of the future 132 kV electricity link between the islands.

On Formentera, civil works have been completed on the PM820 road and the section between it and the new 132 kV Formentera substation, currently under construction, on the Es Ca Marí road, including all the necessary junction chambers for the installation of the land section of the new electricity link that will bolster the existing connection with Ibiza.

In the case of the PM820 road, the final resurfacing of the asphalt road covering has also been completed, with just the installation of the relevant road signage and the painting of road markings still pending, which will be completed very shortly. On the Es Ca Marí road, the partial re asphalting and signposting has also been completed and will be fully completed once the third party works and the civil works linked to the project for the connection section between the existing 30 kV substation and the new 132 kV substation have been completed. These works will be carried out after the summer period in accordance with the indications of the competent public administration authority. Both roads, the PM820 and the Es Ca Marí road, are now reopened to traffic without restrictions.

Regarding the new 132 kV Formentera substation, the earthmoving work has been completed, the civil works are being finalised and the installation of equipment and relevant assembly works will begin shortly. The four reactors, each with a capacity of 9 MVAr, which will be installed in the new substation and which will contribute to maximising the operation of the new link, arrived on the island today.  

Civil works in Ibiza have been completed on practically the entire land section of the link, with the exception of Calle Torrent -which will be finished soon- and the Puig den Valls road and the Can Bufí area, where work will resume after the summer period, in accordance with the indications of the competent public administration authority. All the junction chambers associated with the new electricity link that will bolster the existing connection with Formentera have already been installed, and today the re-asphalting campaign has begun on the roads associated with the land section of the new interconnection.

Additionally, work has been completed for the enlargement of the existing 132 kV Torrent substation in Ibiza, which is the connection point on the island for the future link. The enlargement consisted mainly of equipping six new 132 kV switching substation bays, four with GIS technology (enclosed inside a building) and two of AIS technology (outdoor), as well as the installation of four 132 kV reactors of 9 MVAr each and the internal wiring for connections between equipment.

Similarly, on both islands, the horizontal directional drilling for the sea-coast approach of the link and the installation of the associated offshore to onshore junction chambers have also been completed, elements that are essential for the underwater cable laying works and for the connection with the land section; work that is planned for after the summer period. In addition, work has also been carried out to restore the natural environment.

With the progress made and the schedule planned for the second phase of the works for 2021-2022 and for 2023, the expected deadlines for the commissioning of the new submarine electricity link by the end of 2023 are still on track, as long as there are no unforeseen circumstances arising from global political instability and its impact on the supply chain and other aspects of the economy, which also has a particular bearing on the islands.

The work to be performed after the summer period and in 2023 are basically the completion of the aforementioned specific civil works, the laying of cables for the land section, the configuration of the cable junction chambers, the underwater cable laying works and the new 132 kV Formentera substation, as well as all the necessary tests to ensure the operability and physical and electrical integrity of the new link between the islands of Ibiza and Formentera.