The EU’s European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the Greek operational programmes "Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship" and "Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation" (NSRF 2007‑2013 and 2014‑2020), awarded grant support to the Interconnection of Cyclades Islands with the National Mainland Interconnected Transmission System, which covers Phase A assets including the Syros–Paros 150 kV link. The EU contribution amounts to about €138.2 million towards a total project investment of roughly €389.1 million, reducing project capital costs and supporting long‑term reliable supply to Syros, Paros, Tinos, Mykonos and Naxos.
€138.176M (grant)
By May 2018, IPTO had completed Phase A of the Cyclades Interconnection, delivering the full radial 150 kV interconnection from Lavrio to Syros and onward to Paros, Mykonos and Tinos, so that the Syros–Paros submarine cable entered full commercial operation as part of a system connecting 13 islands to the mainland grid. Following completion, the autonomous power stations on the interconnected islands were placed in reserve and their loads were routinely supplied from the Hellenic Electricity Transmission System.
On 19 March 2018, IPTO inaugurated Phase A of the Cyclades Interconnection, including the 150 kV, approximately 46 km Syros–Paros radial submarine cable, marking initial energisation and power flow from the mainland system. From this point Syros and Paros, and via Paros the islands of Antiparos, Naxos, Koufonissi, Schinoussa, Irakleia, Ios, Sikinos and Folegandros, were electrically supplied by the Hellenic Electricity Transmission System instead of local oil-fired autonomous power stations, while Mykonos followed in May 2018.
IPTO reports that implementation of Phase A of the Cyclades interconnection, which includes the submarine transmission link connecting Syros with Paros as part of the wider island connections, was completed in the early months of 2018. This completion indicates that the submarine cable between Syros and Paros was fully installed and the interconnected Cyclades islands’ loads, including Paros, began being supplied from the Hellenic Electricity Transmission System (HETS), allowing the local Autonomous Production Stations to move to emergency reserve.
In 2018, IPTO completed the new 150 kV closed-type GIS onshore substation on Paros, constructed as part of Phase A of the Cyclades Interconnection. This phase establishes a 150 kV radial submarine cable connection between Syros and Paros, supported by new 150/20 kV substations on Syros, Paros and Mykonos.
In 2016, Asso.subsea undertook transportation, installation, and protection of the 3‑pole 150 kV composite submarine power cable on the Cyclades Project segment between Syros and Paros (approx. 46.9 km), with Hellenic Cables as cable supplier and IPTO (ADMIE) as the client, marking the start of physical cable installation for this interconnection link within Cyclades Phase A.
ADMIE/IPTO appointed Hellenic Cables as the Group B contractor to supply and install the 150 kV AC submarine cable links Syros–Paros (approx. 46 km) as well as Syros–Mykonos and Syros–Tinos, providing the export cable system for the Cyclades Phase A Syros–Paros interconnector.
ADMIE/IPTO awarded a consortium of ALSTOM Grid S.p.A and ALSTOM Grid Hellas A.E. (Group C) the contract to construct four 150/20 kV GIS substations at Lavrio, Syros, Paros and Mykonos, including the Paros substation required for operation of the Syros–Paros 150 kV interconnector.
ADMIE/IPTO selected a consortium of ABB A.B. and ABB A.E. (Group D) to design and construct a Static Var Compensator (SVC) rated at -100/+250 MVar on Syros Island, providing reactive power support for the Cyclades Phase A network that includes the Syros–Paros interconnector.
Following the signing of the first Cyclades interconnection contract in September 2014, IPTO indicated that the project, including the first-phase infrastructure linking Lavrio with Syros and extending from Syros to Paros via a 46‑km connection, was developed between 2015 and the time of reporting, marking the start of physical implementation activities in 2015 for the Syros–Paros section and its associated onshore works.
| South Aegean | South Aegean | |
|---|---|---|
| Landfall | Syros (Syros GIS substation / Syros coast) | Paros (Paros GIS substation / Paros coast) |
| Grid Connection | Syros GIS Substation (150 kV) | Paros 150/20 kV GIS substation |
South Aegean
South Aegean