France-Spain interconnection on track for 2028 says Red Eléctrica

A foundation stone has been laid for the future Cubnezais converter station for the Bay of Biscay electrical interconnection between France and Spain, confirming that the line is on schedule for commissioning in 2028, according to TSO Red Eléctrica.

The future interconnection will double the electricity exchange capacity between the two countries to 5,000MW, equivalent to the consumption of 5 million homes.

According to Red Eléctrica in a release, this first stone marks an important milestone in the progress of works that began in 2023. The Cubnezais converter station, currently under construction in Gironde, and the Gatika converter station, currently under construction in Bizkaia, will form the two ends of the interconnection.

The stations will be connected by a double circuit of approximately 400km, of which 300km are underwater and the rest underground. They will allow the French and Spanish electricity grids to be further interconnected, transforming direct current into alternating current.

Commenting in a release was Roberto García Merino, CEO of Redeia: “Interconnections, such as the one across the Bay of Biscay, are the necessary path to achieving a true European Internal Energy Market, because what we’re really talking about is a European project.

“In Spain and France, we are committed to continuing to work together as countries and as TSOs to further strengthen our interconnections, including through the two new projects planned across the Pyrenees. Experience has shown us that everyone wins.”

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Bay of Biscay interconnection

In Spain, in recent months, work has been underway to prepare the land section of the line and to carry out earthworks for the new converter station, which Red Eléctrica is developing in Gatika with the civil works for the two buildings that comprise it.

Near the coast, in Lemoniz, work is also underway on directional drilling for the offshore landing stage, which will begin in approximately one year and extend until 2027.

In France, the converter station buildings are under construction and are expected to be completed in 2025. The electrical equipment will be installed by mid-2027 to begin the testing phase. More than 50% of the trenches required to install the two powerlines are completed, as are the drillings in the connection areas between the maritime and land-based sections in Le Porge (Gironde), Seignosse, and Capbreton (Landes).

Said Xavier Piechaczyk, chairman of the Board of Directors of RTE: “This first step embodies our commitment to an increasingly decarbonised Europe in terms of energy.

This new interconnection will facilitate access to cleaner and more affordable electricity for French and Spanish consumers. This additional link will strengthen the electrical solidarity between the two countries, allowing us to better meet our respective needs. The exemplary cooperation with Redeia allows us to take a further step forward today and project ourselves into the future.”

Iberian outage and interconnection

Three weeks ago, the Iberian outage hit parts of Spain, Portugal and France, highlighting the fragility of the power system and Spain’s status as an ‘energy island’.

Namely, a significant pain point was the Iberian peninsula’s structural isolation and how interconnection requires more attention.

The Iberian grid is connected to France via Spain’s 2.8GW electricity interconnector and via interconnection with Morocco with a combined 1.4GW capacity.

The support of this interconnection, as well as the black start ability of hydro power plants, enabled system operators to restore power at the time, but the question loomed of how much relief more interconnection may have provided.

The cause of the outage is still under investigation. Although an abrupt loss of power generation at a substation in Granada has been pinpointed as ground zero, according to Reuters reportage.

The Bay of Biscay project, one of the EU’s Projects of Common Interest, received the largest EU subsidy within the programme.

The works are being carried out by Inelfe, a company owned 50% by Red Eléctrica and 50% by RTE, with support from specialised European suppliers such as NKT HV Cables and Prysmian Powerlink for the installation of submarine cables, the FASSET consortium for the underground cables, and the Hitachi Energy/VINCI consortium for the converter stations.