Commercial Operations Full Power

DELAYED +1yr (Apr 2026): Developer-oriented sources such as NS Energy and Offshore Energy continue to state that Malta–Italy Interconnector 2 / Malta Sicily Cable Link 2 is expected to be commissioned or begin operations in 2026. However, official and trade press reporting shows that critical activities are still ongoing in 2026: UXO surveys and seabed clearance are being conducted in early 2026, production of critical HV components only started in late 2025/early 2026, and onshore works at Magħtab and Ragusa are still in progress as of March–April 2026. The first interconnector IC1 is only now being shut down temporarily in 2026 for civil works linked to IC2. Given these 2026 implementation milestones and the prior slip from an original 2025 completion target, a mid‑2026 full commercial operation date is no longer realistic. Adjusting commercial_operations_full_power to mid‑2027 as a more realistic commissioning window, while noting that some public-facing sources still cite 2026. DELAYED +2mo (Apr 2026): Developer communications (e.g. NS Energy project profile and Offshore Energy coverage) state that Malta–Italy Interconnector 2 / Malta Sicily Cable Link 2 is expected to begin operations in the second quarter of 2026, without specifying an exact date. Our previous projection of 1 April 2026 represented an early‑Q2 placeholder rather than an officially announced COD. As of early April 2026 there is no public evidence that full commercial operations have started, and earlier project materials had already slipped the target from 2025 to Q2 2026. Given the scale of remaining construction and commissioning works noted in late‑2025 updates, it is more realistic to place full commercial operation towards the end of the stated Q2 2026 window rather than at its very start. Accordingly, the COD projection is adjusted to late Q2 2026 while keeping the developer’s Q2 2026 guidance as the governing timeframe. --- The Malta Sicily Cable Link 2 (IC2) is planned to enter full commercial operation in the second quarter of 2026, with the approximately 122 km, 225 MW HVAC interconnector between Magħtab in Malta and Ragusa in Sicily expected to be commissioned and begin operations at that time, doubling Malta’s electrical interconnection capacity with the European network.