[WATCH] Interconnector 'an investment in Mare Nostrum for all Europeans' - Renzi

Interconnector 'an investment in Mare Nostrum for all Europeans' - Renzi • Video by Ray Attard

The Malta-Sicily interconnector will be an investment in a Meditteranean of unity for all Europeans, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said at the inauguration of the electricity link between the two countries.

"We must transform the Meditteranean into a Mare Nostrum for all Europeans," Renzi said at the inauguration of the interconnector. "We are sending a clear message to Europe that the Mediterranean is not just a sea of conflct, but a place where dreams can get transformed into reality."

The link will connect Malta to the European energy grid, an important piece in the jigsaw puzzle of Maltese energy security.

Renzi highlighted the interconnector's 'cultural' aspect, as the "creation of a bridge at a time when a lot walls have been erected around the world".

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that the interconnector was first step towards a more interconnected Europe, and eventually a Europe connected to third countries. He said that preliminary studies for the creation of a gas interconnector between Malta and Italy were also at a very advanced stage, and insisted that he plans to create energy links between Malta and North Africa when turmoil in those countries dies down.

"The Meditteranean is often overlooked by Europe, but it can move from being a sea of tragedy to a sea of hope," Muscat said. "The Mediterranean is one of Europe's answers to its energy woes."

He praised former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi, who was present at the inauguration, for his "vision to start and commit to this project".

"He made an ambitious decision that had faced resistance from various quarters who refused to think outside the box," Muscat said.

The interconnector, connecting Malta to Sicily and joining the island to the European grid, comprises a 120km high-voltage alternating current system (HVAC) capable of bidirectional flow of electrical power, transferring 200MW of electricity. In Sicily, the interconnector is linked to the Italian network at 230KV in the Terna substation in Ragusa. The interconnector lands in Malta at Qalet Marku, Bahar ic-Caghaq, and transmits electricity to the distribution network at 132 kV through Enemalta's new terminal station at Maghtab.