EUR 500 mln submarine high voltage interconnection between Romania and Turkey is feasible

Newsroom 13/10/2011 | 17:35

The feasibility study on the Black Sea submarine project that will connect Romania and Turkey in the electricity sector has been finalized, according to Nicholas Anderson, Director of SEK, and an advisory. This statement was made today during a seminar on green solutions for cities organized by the Swedish Trade Council.

In Romania, Transelectrica, under the Ministry of Economy, is responsible for the project together with Teias, in Turkey. Karl Edberg, Senior Adviser in the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs told BR that they are facilitating the project, although it’s still in the preparation stage, due to the extensive experience in the Scandinavian area. SEK will make the project banking feasible.

“If the stakeholders, Teias and Transelectrica, or private partners say yes, then we will start the process to build it. It will take approximately 3 years to build it with an investment cost of EUR 500 million”, added Edberg. This project will allow energy trade between Romania and Turkey. “All production facilities will be connected into the grid, be it lignite fired, nuclear power, solar, wind or hydro power. Then it’s up to the trader to sell and buy”, explained the senior adviser.

Nicholas Anderson, executive director of SEK, explained that the Black Sea submarine connection will allow Romania to sell its excessive electricity output to Turkey that is currently looking for more power to sustain its significant economic growth. Swedish specialists have all agreed that this is the most cost-effective way for Turkey to have access to new power sources.

Anderson also stated that a 400 kilometer cable will be placed at a depth of 2 kilometers in the Black Sea, connecting the two countries. ABB, Areva or Siemens have the technical capacity to provide this cable, according to the SEK executive. He added that Turkey is still considering this project at a political level, although no agreement has been reached yet.