Luis Atienza visits the tunnelling works for the Spain-France electricity interconnection
The Chairman of Red Eléctrica, Luis Atienza, has visited the works on the Spanish side of the future electricity interconnection between Spain and France, a line which will be 64.5 km in length and that will link the municipalities of Santa Llogaia (near Figueras, in Spain) and Baixas (near Perpignan, in France). The majority of the link will be buried by means of a ditch system, nevertheless, to cross the Pyrenees a tunnel of 8.5 kilometres in length will be constructed that will run parallel to that of the high speed train.
Luis Atienza has visited La Junquera to see the tunnel entrance, where a 40-metre gallery has already been excavated, and the tunnel boring machine Alberes that has an overall length of 308 metres and a cutting head with an exterior diameter of 4.3 metres, will begin to drill the tunnel on 14 February.
This electricity interconnection, the first constructed between Spain and France for 30 years, will make it possible to double the commercial energy exchange capacity with the European electricity system and to increase from the current 1,400 megawatts (MW) to 2,800 MW, reaching 6% of our maximum demand, which is still below the 10% minimum recommended by the European Union.