Diafora are incredibly proud to have supported Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. over the past 4 years with the successful delivery of the Greenlink Interconnector.
The Greenlink Interconnector is considered one of Europe’s most important energy infrastructure projects and took ten years to deliver, between its development and construction and it being successfully brought into commercial operations in April 2025.
Greenlink Interconnector is a subsea and underground electricity interconnector cable with associated converter stations linking the existing electricity grids in Ireland and Great Britain (GB) and has a nominal capacity of 500MW. Greenlink provides a new grid connection between EirGrid’s Great Island substation in County Wexford (Ireland) and National Grid’s Pembroke substation in Pembrokeshire (Wales). The power will be able to flow in either direction, depending on supply and demand in each country.
Throughout the course of this project Diafora have support Sumitomo Electric in the successful installation of HVDC cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cables installed along a 24 km onshore route in Ireland, a 160 km submarine cable offshore route across the Irish Sea and a 6 km onshore route in Wales.
Diafora provided qualified and experienced personnel to deliver EPC PMO professional services which included the following responsibilities.
- Project Management to coordinate the many complex aspects of the Project and to support the interaction and management of the numerous Project Stakeholders.
- Contracts Management to ensure that supply chain procurement and management and Client obligations were observed.
- Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying to ensure that all of the commercial functions of such a major project were met.
- Programme Management to ensure that the various stakeholder interfaces were carefully planned and coordinated.
- Quality Management to ensure that the rigorous quality requirements and processes of such a high-profile EPC Project were delivered.
- SHEQS Management to ensure that all project operations were planned and completed safely and all Project obligations in terms of permitting and consents were actively observed.
- Site Management to ensure that Site operations were managed effectively and that Supply chain partners delivered the required installations and
- Site Safety Management to ensure that site-based operations were being safely undertaken.
Now that it is operational, Greenlink will provide the potential to power 380,000 homes in Ireland and the UK and will deliver increased security of supply for electricity consumers in both countries, by diversifying energy sources and providing additional import and export capacity in both countries.
Our Company Vision is derived from our Greek name, Diafora. Which means ‘The difference’. We strive to make the difference to our clients, to our people, to society and to our environment in every way we can. Diafora are therefore proud to have supported Sumitomo Electric in the successful delivery of this Project and to have made a difference to the Energy supply Networks of both the UK and Ireland and the environmental benefits that it will achieve.
The Greenlink Interconnector Project continues the long standing, strong and successful relationship built between Diafora and Sumitomo Electric over the past 8 years which started on the Nemo Link Interconnector Project in 2017 and which we look forward to continuing with Diafora supporting Sumitomo Electric with their new state of the art cable manufacturing facility at the port of Nigg in Inverness.
A special thank you, to all of the Sumitomo Electric Management for placing trust in our capability to support the delivery of this Project.
Together we made it happen.