Inelfe, a joint
venture formed by
French power grid
operator RTE and its
Spanish counterpart
REE, has awarded a
contract for building a
tunnel that will carry
a new power
interconnector
between the two
countries to a
consortium led by Eiffage and Dragados.
The 8.5-km tunnel will house the
high voltage cables for the new 1,400-
mw interconnector in the stretch that
runs under the Pyrenees. The
interconnector aims to double power
capacity between the two countries
and will run for a total of 65 km
between Baixas, near Perpignan in
France, and Santa Llogaia, near
Figueres in Spain. The tunnel would
run alongside a highspeed
train tunnel
also being built
through the Pyrenees.
The joint venture
already awarded
contracts for the
supply of the cables
and installation of
transformer stations
to Prysmian and
Siemens in
December 2010. Work on the
interconnector is due to get
underway this year after all the
necessary administrative permits
are in place.
Work on building the tunnel
through the Alberes massif is then
expected to start in 2012 and last
around a year. Other sections of
the line are to be buried in trenches,
it is learnt.