The laying of the undersea energy cable between Italy and Montenegro in Montenegrin waters from Cape Jaz towards Italy was completed yesterday. When the entire project is completed, Montenegro will be at the centre of energy flows, connecting to the energy system of Italy and Western Europe, thereby becoming the energy link of the Western Balkans with the European Union (EU).
The laying of the 157-kilometre-long cable from the Montenegrin side proceeded at a faster pace than planned, so the final metres of the cable were laid yesterday at around 13:00.
The laying of the submarine cable on the Montenegrin side began on 20 November. The cable was laid from the ship 'Skarerrak', a Norwegian vessel of the company Nexans, which specialises in cable laying.
The submarine cable, whose total length between Pescara and Cape Jaz is 455 kilometres, It consists of three parts. The company Terna had already laid 136 kilometres of cable from the Italian coast at the beginning of the previous year, and after completing the laying on the Montenegrin side, in January of the following year, it will begin laying the cable route that will connect these two sections.
Terna plans to lay the complete submarine cable between Italy and Montenegro at the beginning of next year, while the entire energy interconnection project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018.
The works are being carried out on the seabed of the Adriatic Sea at a depth of up to 1,200 metres, with a nominal transmission capacity of 1,000 megawatts (MW) for direct current. In early October, the laying of the onshore section of the cable began on the Montenegrin side, a length of around six kilometres from Cape Jaz to the 'Lastva' substation. In early August, the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism issued a construction permit to Terna Crna Gora for the installation of a subsea power cable from Italy to Montenegro, through Montenegrin territory.