The milestone for the over EUR-500-million (USD 559.3m) project was announced by Japan's Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd on 23 August.

The Osaka-based company and Siemens Energy AG were last year selected to serve as the scheme's engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors.

The onshore and offshore HVDC cable installation works were finalised ahead of schedule, with testing and commissioning to be carried out later this year.

Sumitomo Electric was tasked with installing the high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) and fiber optic cables for the facility, deploying its HVDC cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cabling technology for subsea and underground interconnection.

The roughly 190-km (118-mile) power link will provide a new grid connection between Great Island in County Wexford, Ireland, and Pembrokeshire in Wales, UK.

The electricity it will transmit will flow in both directions, depending on supply and demand in each country. ■