Positive
Project advancing - milestone achieved
Medium Impact
Significant progress or notable issue
Between 1977 and 1981, an experimental undersea power cable interconnection between the Azores islands of Faial and Pico was installed and tested as a grid extension project, but recurrent breakdowns and high repair costs led to the link being abandoned. This early trial highlighted technical and reliability challenges of subsea power transmission in the archipelago’s deep, rough seabed conditions and delayed further development of the inter-island cable concept for several decades.