The deadline of a tender for the engineering, procurement and installation of cables and stations concerning the Crete-Athens electricity grid interconnection, needed to prevent an energy shortage on the island, Greece’s largest, has been re-extended to August 5 from July 29, after the initial expiry date had been set for July 22.

Power grid operator IPTO, which has established the Ariadne Interconnector subsidiary for the project’s development, needed, according to the tender’s terms, to inform participants of the latest deadline no later than three days before the existing deadline. IPTO issued an announcement on the deadline extension yesterday.

A second tender for the engineering, procurement and installation of two transformer stations and a substation concerning the project has been extended to August 30.

Earlier this week, the Council of State, Greece’s Supreme Administrative Court, rejected a case filed by Euroasia Interconnector against the tenders, paving the way for IPTO to push ahead with the project, to be completed over two stages. The first will link Crete with the Peloponnese while the second will connect Crete with the Athens area.

Euroasia Interconnector, a consortium of Cypriot interests heading a wider PCI-status project to link the Greek, Cypriot and Israeli grids, has fought for development control of the Crete-Athens segment.

According to some sources, the Greek government may exhaust all possibilities for the project’s funding support through the EU’s PCI catalog, offering favorable terms. The interconnection’s development as a national project is another option.

A government decision on the course it will opt to take is expected over the next few days. The priority, at this stage, is to push ahead for the project’s swift completion.