A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed for cooperation on the implementation of the two-gigawatt (2 GW) EuroAfrica (Egypt-Greece) Interco
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed for cooperation on the implementation of the two-gigawatt (2 GW) EuroAfrica (Egypt-Greece) Interconnector.
McDermott, a US-based global engineering and construction services company, and Eunice Energy Group sealed the MoU which tasks McDermott with providing engineering and construction guidance for the project. The EuroAfrica (Egypt-Greece) Interconnector project involves construction of a 1,396-kilometre high-voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea power cable that is being developed to link Egypt with Cypriot and Greek power grids through the island of Crete.
EuroAfrica (Egypt-Greece) Interconnector
The project is being implemented in two phases. In the first phase, the cable will start from Kafresh-Sheikh in Egypt, and run for approximately 498 kilometers across the sea to Kofinou in Cyprus while in the second phase, it will run westwards from Kofinou, and take a subsea route to Korakia in Crete, the largest of the Greek islands. The distance from Kofinou to Korakia is approximately 898 kilometers or its thereabouts.
The lowest laying point for the subsea cable will be 3,000m below sea level in the Mediterranean Sea, making it the world’s deepest undersea cable. It will be connected to three HVDC onshore converter stations with multi-terminal operations, which will be constructed as part of the project at Kafresh-Sheikh, Kofinou, and Korakia. Incorporating voltage source converters (VSC) technology, the converter stations are mainly meant to convert electricity from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) and vice versa.
The converter stations are bipolar and could run bi-directionally, this means electricity can be imported or exported depending on demand in the beneficiary countries. When fully operational expectedly by 2024, the EuroAfrica Interconnector will have the capacity to transmit (in either direction) 2,000 megawatts of electricity, which is enough to power up to two million households. Upon the completion of its first phase (in 2023), it will transmit 1,000 megawatts of electricity.