LISBON, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Portugal and Spain on Thursday inaugurated a new high-voltage electricity interconnection, representing an investment of 70 million euros (79.8 million U.S. dollars) on the Portuguese side.
The move aimed to boost cross-border power exchanges between the two countries and facilitate the integration of renewable energy.
The link forms part of a new electrical axis between the Minho region of northern Portugal and Galicia in northwestern Spain, connecting the two networks via the substations of Ponte de Lima, Fontefria and Beariz through a double 400-kilovolt overhead line spanning about 90 kilometers, of which 72 are on Portuguese territory.
The new link is expected to sustain a minimum commercial interconnection capacity of 3,000 megawatts in both directions, as agreed at an Iberian summit by the governments of the two countries.
The inauguration of the link came over one year after the Iberian blackout on April 28, 2025, which affected both Portugal and Spain and intensified the debate on the need for more robust and interconnected electricity networks. ■