Enemalta Corporation and Nexans Norway yesterday signed a contract worth €182 million, to lay a submarine cable between Malta and Sicily enabling the Maltese Islands to be connected to the European power grid.

The cable is expected to start operating by the end of 2013, meeting Enemalta’s aim to start depending on cleaner, safer and sustainable energy and simultaneously supporting economic development. The 95km cable will run from the landing sites in Qalet Marku near Maghtab, to Marina di Ragusa in Sicily. The cable will be connected to the Maghtab sub-station and eventually to the Kappara distribution centre.

Cast iron shells will protect the first and last 2km from shore, 87km will be buried in the sand and 9km will be covered by rock placement at different locations en route. Some 50km of the cable will run through the silty seabed. Its maximum depth will be of 160 metres and will be buried at a height of one metre below the seabed.

A special cable laying vessel, able to carry up to 70km of cable, will be laying the cable after the horizontal directional drilling technique and water jetting or trenching will be used to cut through the underwater rock. The interconnector cable would be capable of importing but also exporting energy, explained Chief Technical Officer Peter Grima, but it is more likely that it will initially import energy. The exporting equipment would clear the way for the planned wind farm project, through which excess energy generated by the wind farm would be sold back to the European grid.

Fishing gear, anchors or dropped objects could potentially threat the cables functionality.

Enemalta CEO Karl Camilleri said the interconnector cable is the second phase in the process of the corporation’s moving away from depending on hydrocarbon fuels and from Malta’s electrical and geographical isolation. The project should allow the corporation to gain efficiency, which at the moment it is lacking due to the Marsa power station. By default, the interconnecting cable would also partially reduce dependence on fluctuating dollar and oil costs.

The project is a step closer to a more efficient generation strategy but also towards a long-term sustainability.

Just before signing the contract, Economy, Investment and Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said the signing of the contract is an important milestone for Enemalta in terms of energy infrastructure to sustain the local economy. “We know what it takes to operate an isolated network but this cable will make Malta more reliable, environmentally sound and economically viable,” said Minister Fenech.

The €182 million investment will be 50% funded by the European Investment Bank, €20 million have been allocated by European funding and the rest will be financed by local banks.

The interconnector cable is one part of a €380 million investment by Enemalta to improve power generation and distribution.