A decades-old project to completely connect the Cyclades islands – a handful of which are internationally renowned tourist destinations – with the mainland’s power grid will finally materialize early next year, the independent power authority promised this week.
An underwater heavy cable connecting Lavrio, on the mainland, with the island of Syros is scheduled for the first phase of the project, followed by the subsequent hookup of the rest of the islands through 2019.
While admitting to delays, Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE) President Nikos Boulaxis nevertheless referred to a third stage that will, according to the current timetable, be implemented between 2020 and 2022, based on a proposal by the independent grid operator ADMIE.
The first phase, after connecting Lavrio with Syros, is a Syros-Tinos connection, followed by power cables to Paros, Mykonos from Syros.
Completion of the Syros substation, which is crucial for the entire island network, was hampered by delays caused mostly by local protests, lawsuits and mobilizations.
A second phase includes the Paros-Naxos link, which will then extend to Mykonos. An auxiliary 14.5-km power cable now connecting the islands from a point on large Evia island will also be upgraded.
The third phase, as proposed by ADMIE, foresees a second high-voltage underwater cable between Lavrio and Syros.
