UK-based geoscience and engineering services provider Next Geosolutions has secured survey work for the western part of the Tyrrhenian Link interconnector.
Supported by the National Inter-University Consortium for Marine Sciences (CoNISMa), the contract for the West Link section of the Tyrrhenian Link interconnector has been awarded to Next Geosolutions by Terna, the owner of the Italian national transmission grid.
The 1000MW direct current Tyrrhenian Link is a new electricity corridor at the centre of the Mediterranean Sea and will connect Sicily with Sardinia and the Italian peninsula via a double underwater cable system, divided in two sections: East Link from Sicily to Campania, and West Link from Sicily to Sardinia.
As reported earlier, the East Link survey scope has been secured by Dutch survey contractor Fugro.
The West Link, with its 471 kilometres in length and 2120-metre depth below sea level, will be – once completed – the deepest submarine power cable in the world, breaking the current record of 1600 metres still held by Terna with the SAPEI Link between Sardinia and the Italian peninsula.
Giovanni Ranieri , NextGeo CEO, said: “We are particularly excited about this assignment. We are proud of the trust bestowed upon us by Terna for it is giving our Company the chance to contribute to the technological and economic development of Southern Italy. We will certainly put in place our best skills and resources to identify the optimal routes for the West Link cables”.
The Tyrrhenian Link is a strategic project for the Italian electricity system for which Terna will invest approximately €3.7 billion over the next few years, and as a result involve 250 companies.