FASSET consortium

The FASSET consortium is an infrastructure delivery partnership responsible for the underground cable works on the Bay of Biscay electricity interconnection between France and Spain. It operates as a specialist civil works and cable installation contractor within the high-voltage transmission value chain, working under Inelfe, the joint venture equally owned by Red Eléctrica (Redeia) and French TSO RTE that is developing the project. Within the interconnection, which will link the converter stations at Gatika in Spain and Cubnezais near Bordeaux in France via a 400 km double-circuit line, the FASSET consortium focuses on the onshore sections. Its scope includes preparation of the underground route, excavation and trenching, and associated groundworks required before high-voltage cables are installed. Razel-Bec reports that, as part of the FASSET consortium alongside Fayat TP, its teams are executing around 100 km of trenches and boreholes in France and a further 13 km in Spain to accommodate the land cables between Cubnezais and Gatika. By delivering the underground cable corridor, the consortium contributes directly to a Project of Common Interest that will double the electricity exchange capacity between France and Spain to around 5,000 MW. The fully underground and underwater design of the interconnection is intended to minimise visual and environmental impact while strengthening cross-border system security, facilitating greater integration of renewable generation and supporting Europe’s transition away from coal-based power. The FASSET consortium’s work is therefore a key enabling element of the interconnection’s role in improving supply quality, enhancing energy sovereignty and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in both countries.