A power plant on the island Paros, suppling the island as well as Antiparos, Naxos, Iraklia, Schinoussa, Koufonisi, Ios, Sykinos and Folegandros, has been shut down and placed on standby as the first phase of a Cyclades submarine cable interconnection is now operating following electrification and tests.

The Cyclades underwater power cable link, a 108-km line, stretches from a power facility at coastal Lavrio, southeast of Athens, to Syros. From there, a 33-km cable runs to the northern part of Tinos, a 46-km cable connects Syros with Paros, and a third line, 35 km long, links Syros with Mykonos.

All of the region’s old fuel-powered power plants will stop operating and remain on standby.

The second phase of the Cyclades interconnection with the mainland system is planned to include links between Paros and Naxos, Naxos and Mykonos, as well as an upgrade of of an existing cable connection linking Andros with Livadi, in southern Evia, and Andros with Tinos.

The installation of submarine power cables for this second phase of the Cyclades connection, budgeted at 80 million euros, is expected to be completed by early 2019. The appraisal of offers submitted to a related tender is now at an advanced stage.

A third phase, budgeted at 100 million euros, to include the installation of a second cable link between Lavrio and Syros, is planned to be finalized by the end of 2020. IPTO, the power grid operator, recently decided to hasten this project’s progress. Tender terms are expected to be announced within the next few days.

A fourth-phase Cyclades interconnection is also being prepared. It will link Lavrio with Serifos, Serifos with Mylos, Mylos with Santorini, and Santorini with either Paros or Naxos.

The fourth phase will be added to IPTO’s ten-year business plan covering 2019 to 2028. IPTO has already received a related study conducted by RAE, Regulatory Authority for Energy, and HEDNO, the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator.