Malta Issues Tender for HVDC Interconnector

Interconnect Malta has issued a tender for the basic engineering phase of the country's third electricity interconnector, IC3, following the project's announcement during the unveiling of the government's energy vision document, Malta's Energy Shift: A Sustainable Power Transition.

The tender covers the early design phase that will guide the project's engineering, permitting and route-selection stages, and is reported to be worth around €1.5 million.

IC3 is intended to strengthen Malta's security of electricity supply by diversifying its connection point with the European network. Like the existing first and second interconnectors (IC1 and IC2), it will operate in bi-directional mode, but at a higher voltage of 380kV, compared with the 220kV used by IC1 and IC2. The new link will connect directly to Italy's national grid backbone, giving Malta more direct access to the European mainland electricity network.

IC3 will be the first interconnector in Malta to use High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) technology for electricity exchange.

The project is being designed as a scalable interconnection, with an initial capacity of 200MW and the option to expand to 400MW. It has also been included in the 2026 ENTSO-E Ten-Year Network Development Plan, a step towards securing Project of Common Interest (PCI) status, which would make it eligible for EU funding.

Miriam Dalli, Minister for the Environment, Energy and Public Cleanliness, said the interconnector projects form the foundation of Malta's transition towards a carbon-neutral economy, enabling increased imports of renewable electricity and allowing local large-scale offshore renewable projects to connect to the grid without creating instability or balancing issues.

Ismail D'Amato, CEO of Interconnect Malta, said the tender marks a key step forward for IC3, launching the basic engineering phase that will guide the project's design and permitting stages. He added that the project will create a modern, flexible link starting at 200MW with the possibility to expand to 400MW, using the best available technologies and routes to ensure reliability and efficiency.