The long-suffering project of its electrical connection Peloponnese With Attica with an extra-high voltage line, after many misadventures that led to serious delays, was completed and put into operation. OUR ADMI announced yesterday the full operation of the Western Corridor project, as the interconnection is called, after the successful completion of the trial period.

This is a very important infrastructure for the electrical system of the Peloponnese, which until now has only been connected to the 150 kV high voltage line, which means limited transmission capacity. With the commissioning of the EHV line, the region’s congested networks will be offloaded and a reliable supply corridor will be created for the rest of the Greek mainland and back through the EHV centers Ahelou and Distomo. In addition, the new electrical corridor will allow PPC’s gas facility in Megapolis to operate at maximum capacity for the first time, thereby contributing to system stability and more efficient operation of the balancing market. Another major benefit of the project is that the new 400 kV transmission line will further strengthen the existing electrical connection between Crete and Laconia. The Western Corridor project consists of overhead and underground transmission lines and also includes the first 400 kV extra-high voltage submarine cable between Rio and Antirio. The expansion and modernization of the 400 kV system in the Peloponnese will be completed by the Eastern Corridor, which includes the connection of the Megapolis to Corinth and Attica, with a horizon of 2025. The two projects will drastically increase the transmission capacity of electricity to and from the Peloponnese, overall upgrading the operation and security of the southern system.

The Western Corridor project was originally planned in 2006, received AEPO (Environmental Licensing) in 2014, and construction began in 2018. Although it was 98% completed in 2020, the appeals of the five monks of the monastery of Agia Theodoros in Kalavryta, who claim that the column will be disturbed by its calm nature, are put on “ice”. To unlock the project, ADMIE has planned an alternative route on the disputed stretch of Kalavryta. To do this, he had to redo a number of complex and time-consuming procedures (licensing, expropriation, research, construction of a new road). In addition, in the ensuing unfavorable economic situation, mainly due to the pandemic, the manager assumed the increased costs caused by the forced delay of the project, without affecting the implementation of its ten-year investment program.