Fugro conducts a survey for the Malta-Sicily interconnector
Interconnect Malta has awarded a contract to Fugro to deliver preliminary surveys and post-survey assessments to identify the final route for the second £150M cable interconnection project between Malta and Sicily in Italy.
The new 118km, 200MW high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) electric cable will be installed between Maghtab in Malta and Ragusa in Sicily across the Mediterranean Sea.
It will run in parallel with the first HVAC interconnector that was installed in 2015.
Interconnect Malta (ICM), which operates under the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Enterprise of Malta, selected Fugro for the survey of the sea route following an open international call for tenders.
Fugro started work at the end of August and will provide ICM with a detailed geophysical, geotechnical and environmental survey of the sea.
It is using its specialized equipment and personnel to acquire comprehensive geographic data nearshore in the cable land and offshore in deeper water along the proposed route.
Fugro will then combine this data with the results from its specialist post-survey assessments to advise on geohazard risk mitigation and identify a safe route for the final cable installation.
Fugro’s country manager for Italy Rodolfo D’Addario said: “Our purpose at Fugro is to create a safe and livable world by providing geo-data that supports projects like this cable interconnection, which will allow Malta to welcome more renewable electricity and optimize. local power generation.
“In this way, the results of our accurate and comprehensive survey will directly contribute to Malta’s climate and energy targets for 2030 and, in the long term, its plan for 2050 for decarbonisation.”
The second interconnector is expected to be completed by 2025.