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Denmark-headquartered power cable manufacturer and installation company NKT has completed the first cable pull-ins at Lemóniz in northern Spain, marking what it describes as an important construction milestone on a multibillion-euro interconnector, which will increase electricity exchange capacity between Spain and France from 2.8 GW to 5 GW.
NKT has reported that the cables for the Biscay Gulf interconnector were brought ashore from its NKT Victoria cable-laying vessel through a drilled route extending more than 1,000 meters. The landfall technique is intended to minimize disruption to the local environment.
Developed by INELFE , the joint venture between Spain’s Red Eléctrica and France’s RTE , and supported by the European Investment Bank and the European Union through CINEA, the power link will become the first submarine electricity interconnection between Spain and France.
The interconnector will stretch approximately 400 kilometers between Gatika in Spain’s Basque Country and Cubnezais in southwestern France, with around 300 kilometers running beneath the Bay of Biscay. This electricity link will comprise two high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems, each with a capacity of 1,000 MW (1 GW).
The project’s construction began in 2023 and is progressing on both sides of the border. INELFE’s current schedule calls for marine cable installation to continue through the third quarter of 2027, with testing beginning in mid-2027. This interconnector is expected to enter service in 2028.
Once it becomes operational, the project will boost electricity exchange capacity between France and Spain from 2,800 MW (2.8 GW) to 5,000 MW (5 GW), fortifying the Iberian Peninsula’s connection to the wider European electricity market.
The additional capacity is expected to improve grid security and flexibility, reduce cross-border congestion and facilitate greater integration of renewable electricity. The European Investment Bank has committed up to €1.6 billion to the project, which has an estimated total cost of about €3.1 billion.
NKT highlighted: “The project will strengthen the connection between the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of Europe, supporting energy security, grid stability, and the integration of renewable energy across borders.”