Malta’s second energy interconnector cable works begin in Ragusa, Sicily

Work on laying Malta’s second interconnector cable has kicked off, with 15 per cent of the land cable in Sicily now in place, Energy Minister Miriam Dalli told press during a visit to the interconnector’s site in Ragusa.

The project is set to cost €300 million, €165 million of which will come from European funds, EU Funds Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi said during the visit.

First announced in 2021, the project was eventually approved by Italy early last year, with the authorities promising the project would strengthen Malta’s energy security and bring the country closer to its decarbonisation targets.

Work on the project has since kicked off, with Interconnect Malta, the government entity handling the project, last week deploying a vessel that will map the undersea cable’s route.

The interconnector will span 122km, from its Ragusa terminal to the Magħtab terminal station where Malta’s original interconnector is attached.

Engineers laying the cable.

Cable to start from same terminal as first interconnector

The cable will start from the same Ragusa terminal as Malta’s first interconnector, with a new reactor and transformer set to be installed just metres away from that of the original cable.

The two interconnectors, however, will follow slightly different routes on their way to Malta.

Engineers say that this is a security measure to minimise the chances of both cables being damaged simultaneously by a single incident, such as an earthquake.

Of its 122km length, 99km of the cable will be laid under the seabed, at a maximum depth of 175m. Meanwhile, 21km of the cable will be on land in Sicily, with a further 2km on land in Malta.

During a visit to the Ragusa terminal, Interconnect Malta CEO Ismail D’Amato said the cable is being manufactured in Turkey and transported to Sicily, with almost two-thirds of the land-based cable already having been manufactured.

Once the project is completed, it is set to avoid the emission of 13.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next 25 years, D’Amato said.

The interconnector will have a capacity of 225 megawatts, roughly a third of the peak demand of 650 megawatts experienced in Malta this summer, he added.

The Ragusa terminal from where both Malta’s interconnectors will begin.

Dalli said the project promises to bring Malta closer to its energy and climate targets by enabling importation of electricity from renewable sources and future-proofing Malta’s own renewable energy generation by linking to plans for offshore and hydrogen energy.

She admitted that the project had a difficult birth, with its first steps being taken during the pandemic and subsequent cost of living crisis.

“We always had questions about whether it would be too expensive, whether we would be able to procure the cable and the marine vessels required,” she said. Nevertheless, Interconnect Malta managed to get the project off the ground, “to ensure that more homes and businesses are powered sustainably”, she added.

Meanwhile, Zrinzo Azzopardi said the interconnector was Malta’s largest EU-funded project, describing it as a project that “touches the very heart of our country’s future”.