Offshore Construction Start

DELAYED +3mo (Apr 2026): Delayed from 2026-03-31 — original delay target from Aug 2025 RTE bulletin was past the current date when stamped by the projections agent on 2026-04-10. No fresh 2026 source confirms the March 2026 start actually happened. Conservative new target at end of Q2 2026, aligned with INELFE's 'Marine cable installation Q2 2026' window. DELAYED +5mo (Apr 2026): The original projection of 2025-10-01 matched Inelfe’s earlier indication that "work at sea" for the Bay of Biscay interconnection would run from Q4 2025 to Q2 2027. However, RTE’s August 2025 project newsletter for the Golfe de Gascogne interconnection states that offshore works (travaux en mer) will begin in March 2026 with the first cable-laying operations at the landfalls. This official update shifts the start of offshore construction by roughly five months, so the offshore_construction_start milestone is delayed to March 2026 (month-level precision). DELAYED +0mo (Apr 2026): Inelfe’s official works schedule for the Biscay Gulf/Bay of Biscay interconnection defines "Work at sea" for France from Q4 2025 to Q2 2027. This period corresponds to the start and duration of offshore construction activities. The original offshore construction start milestone of 2025‑10‑01 falls at the beginning of Q4 2025 and is therefore fully consistent with the developer’s plan. No subsequent updates from Inelfe, RTE, Red Eléctrica, CINEA or the EIB indicate slippage to this offshore works window, so the date is retained as the realistic start of offshore construction within Q4 2025. DELAYED +0mo (Apr 2026): Inelfe’s works schedule for the Biscay Gulf/Bay of Biscay interconnection defines "Work at sea" from Q4 2025 to Q2 2027. This period covers the main offshore campaign, including cable‑lay and associated offshore construction. The original offshore construction start milestone of 2025‑10‑01 (Q4 2025) is consistent with this official window. However, because early milestones such as geotechnical and landfall works are still on schedule and no official delay to the start of offshore works has been signalled in recent communications from Inelfe, RTE, Red Eléctrica, CINEA or the EIB, the date is confirmed as the realistic start of offshore construction within Q4 2025. --- According to Inelfe’s project schedule, offshore works for the Biscay Gulf interconnection are planned to run from the fourth quarter of 2025 to the second quarter of 2027. This period marks the start of marine construction activities on the predominantly submarine HVDC link across the Bay of Biscay between the Spanish and French coasts.