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France Leads Plan for Five Undersea Power Cables From Africa
2010-07-20 17:49:50.270 GMT
By Lauren van der Westhuizen
July 20 (Bloomberg New Energy Finance) -- The French
government said 13 companies have established a plan to build
five undersea power cables that will bring renewable energy from
North Africa to the European market.
The project, known as Transgreen, is aimed at transporting
5 gigawatts of solar energy to Europe by 2020, the French
ministry for ecology, energy and sustainable development said in
a press release.
The group will undertake a three-year study, starting in
the fourth quarter, at a cost of 3 million euros ($3.9 million),
said Herve Pouliquen, a spokesman for French transmission firm
Reseau de Transport d'Electricite, known as RTE.
The 13 signatories to the agreement are Atos Origin SA,
Abengoa SA, the French Development Agency, Alstom SA, Areva SA,
CDC Infrastructure, EDF SA, Nexans SA, Prysmian SpA, RED
Eléctrica de España Corp., Reseau de Transport d'Electricite,
Siemens AG and Taqa Arabia. Each company will contribute an
equal share of the project costs, he added.
Transgreen hopes to get an additional seven partners from
North Africa within the next six months and is currently in
talks with groups from Morocco and Tunisia, Pouliquen said.
Once complete, Transgreen plans to build five extra-high-
voltage undersea cables, operated in direct current, over a
period of five to seven years, he said. He estimates each cable
will cost 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion).
Transgreen forms part of the Mediterranean Solar Plan,
which envisages the construction of 20 gigawatts of solar energy
in the southern and eastern areas of the region by 2020. Of
this, a quarter would be exported into Europe.
Transgreen will collaborate with the governments of the
involved countries, the European Commission, scientists,
development banks and non-governmental organizations to execute
the project, the group said in a statement.
For Related News and Information:
Today's top environment news: GREEN <GO>
Renewable-energy markets home page: RENE <GO>
Sustainability, environmental indexes: SEI <GO>
--Editors: Reed Landberg
To contact the reporter on this story:
Lauren van der Westhuizen at +27-21-441-7602 or at
lvanderwesth@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Angus McCrone at +44-20-3216-4795 or
amccrone1@bloomberg.net.
