July 3 (SeeNews) - The 400-kV cross-border electricity transmission line between Bulgaria and Greece has been energised and 72-hour testing of the interconnection has begun, Bulgaria's Electricity System Operator (ESO) said.
The procedure for testing the power link, named Perperikon, was made possible after the 29-kilometre section on the Greek side was completed by the country's Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO), its Bulgarian counterpart said in a press release on Friday.
Last year, Greek industrial conglomerate Mytilineos' Sustainable Engineering Solutions (SES) unit signed a 9.97 million euro ($10.85 million) contract to build the Greek part of the power line with IPTO, the owner and operator of the Hellenic Electricity Transmission System (HETS).
The new high-voltage overhead transmission line, which connects the Maritsa East substation in Bulgaria to Nea Santa in Greece, is expected to be put into operation at the end of summer, ESO added.
The Perperikon power interconnection is seen to contribute to raising the transmission capacity at Bulgaria's border with Greece and to the efficient use of electricity produced by renewable sources.
The Greece-Bulgaria interconnection is a project worth a total of 66.4 million euro and comprising an overhead transmission line, an underground transmission line, substation and interconnection, with a total length of 151 kilometres, of which 29 km on Greek territory. Construction on the Bulgarian side started in 2020 and was completed in 2021.
($ = 0.9184 euro)