Monaco’s electricity supply will be more secure and able to accommodate further expansion thanks to a new sub-station inaugurated by HSH Prince Albert on Monday, November 27.
More than 330 controlled explosions were necessary to dig out the rock to provide the 2,100 square metres of space to house the equipment in Monaco’s third sub-station. Use was also made of 700 square metres of a tunnel formerly used by rail operator SNCF during the building of Monaco’s underground railway station.
The project was delivered to SMEG, Monaco’s utilities company, in 2015. Monaco’s first two electrical sub-stations, in Fontvieille and on the west side of the Sainte-Dévote valley, have previously operated at 80 percent of their capacity.
The creation of this additional electric power station became necessary to ensure the economic development of the Principality, while strengthening the security of the territory’s electricity supply, the Government said.
It will serve the eastern area of the Principality and will increase Monaco’s power supply capacity by 50 percent. It will also relieve pressure on the Principality’s power supplies as the land extension project at Portier takes shape.
EDF’s subsidiary RTE manages the French public electricity transmission network and ensures the delivery of electricity to the French-Monegasque border. SMEG sends it to the power source substations, which then transforms the current into low voltage and distributes it to the user at 230 volts.