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Red Eléctrica begins laying the third and final submarine cable between the Spanish peninsula and the Balearic Islands
Today, Red Eléctrica has begun the laying of the last of the three submarine cables that will make up the electrical interconnection between the Spanish peninsula and the Balearic Islands (Rómulo project). The ship Giulio Verne - that already carried out the laying of the first cable in January – has begun in Santa Ponsa (Majorca) the laying of the first few metres on the sea bed, works will continue over the next days on the high seas until reaching Sagunto (Valencia), where the cable will then be connected with the peninsular electricity system.
Once the installation is finished, a test period will begin during the summer months with the objective of commissioning the interconnection in the last quarter of 2011. This interconnection will contribute around 25% of the electricity that is consumed in the islands, which will allow the diversification of supply in the archipelago.
The project involves the first submarine electricity transmission interconnection in direct current in Spain and the second in the world in which the cables run at a maximum depth of 1,485 metres.
In order to lay the cable, the Giulio Verne is equipped with a dynamic positioning system which allows it to follow the established route with precision and to remain perfectly stationary when sea conditions demand that work be halted. These devices are hugely important given that the laying of each of the three cables is carried out in one continuous length, that is to say, without the need to perform joints.