Belle-Île-en-Mer
OperationalIsland LinkFR20 kV15 km2015
Basic information
7 fieldsAlso Known As
Quiberon–Belle-Île submarine cable · ERDF Quiberon–Belle-Île cable · Quiberon–Le Palais subsea power + fibre link · Belle Ile 4
Status
operational
Project Company
Type
island link
Expected Life
40 years
Website
Supply Chain (3)
Project Timeline (5)
Apr 2015Commercial Operations Full Power
Multiple sources quoting ERDF (France 3 Régions, Le Figaro, API/Ouest‑France, TVBI/Bretagne Télé) state that the new 14.5 km hybrid submarine power and fibre‑optic cable between Quiberon and Belle‑Île, which replaces one of the island’s three existing electricity links, "doit être mis en service en avril" (scheduled to be put into service in April 2015). No evidence of delay or alternative commissioning date has been found, and the link has been operating since. The energisation/commercial service date is therefore confirmed to April 2015, with month‑level precision.
12 Mar 2015Cable Installation Complete
France 3 Régions and other contemporaneous reports state that the hybrid submarine cable laying between Quiberon and Belle-Île began on Tuesday 10 March 2015 and the three‑day installation operation was to be completed on Thursday afternoon, 12 March 2015. This corresponds to the end of the marine cable installation.
10 Mar 2015Cable Installation Start
Cable installation for the Belle-Île-en-Mer hybrid submarine cable began on Tuesday morning, 10 March 2015, when ERDF started the laying operation with the landfall at Quiberon using a cable-laying vessel to pull out the 14.5–15 km cable towards Belle-Île-en-Mer, with works scheduled to continue through Thursday. Preparatory works at the shore sites in Quiberon and Belle-Île had been carried out earlier, and by this date the main offshore laying campaign between Quiberon and Port-Jean (Le Palais) was underway.
1 Feb 2015Onshore Construction Start
In February 2015, during spring tides, ERDF began onshore construction works to prepare the landfall of the new 15 km hybrid submarine power and fibre-optic cable, carrying out shore-connection preparations at Palais on Belle-Île-en-Mer and at Port Maria in Quiberon.
Date TBDCable Supplier Selected
General Cable Europe, through its Silec subsidiary, was selected to supply and manufacture the new 15 km jointless high‑technology submarine cable connecting Quiberon on the mainland to Belle‑Île, providing both medium‑voltage power and 48-fibre optical communications to secure the island’s electricity and data supply. The project required development and testing of multiple prototypes and a bespoke cable design manufactured as a single continuous length, highlighting General Cable/Silec’s role as the main cable supplier for the Belle‑Île interconnector renewal.