Government issues tender for Malta's third interconnector

The government has issued a tender for the basic engineering of Malta's third electricity interconnector with Europe, marking the first formal step in the development of a new high-voltage cable linking the island directly to Italy's national grid.

The move follows the announcement of the IC3 project during the launch of Malta's Energy Shift: A Sustainable Power Transition, the government's energy vision document.

"We see these projects as the foundation of Malta's transition towards a carbon-neutral economy," said Minister for the Environment, Energy and Public Cleanliness Miriam Dalli.

She said this will see increased interconnectivity through a diversified set of connection points, which allows for greater importation of electricity from renewable energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while enabling large-scale offshore renewable projects to be connected to Malta's electricity grid without creating instability or balancing issues. These projects are also in line with this government's vision for a diversified, clean and affordable power sector.

The new cable will differ from the first two interconnectors in several ways. While IC1 and IC2 operate at 220kV, IC3 will run at 380kV, connecting directly to Italy's national grid backbone and giving Malta more direct access to mainland European electricity. The project will also be the first in Malta to use High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) technology, a different method of transmitting electricity over long distances.

IC3 is being designed to start at a capacity of 200MW, with the option to expand to 400MW. The project has already been included in the 2026 ENTSO-E Ten-Year Network Development Plan, a key step towards securing Project of Common Interest status, which would open the door to EU funding.

Inġ. Ismail D'Amato, chief executive of Interconnect Malta, said the tender marked an important milestone. "The issuing of this tender marks a key step forward for Malta's third electricity interconnector, launching the basic engineering phase that will guide the project's design and permitting stages.

He said the project will create a modern, flexible link starting at 200MW, with the possibility of expanding to 400MW, using the best available technologies and routes to ensure reliability and efficiency and strengthen Malta's energy supply and support renewable energy,