Scheduled to enter service in mid-2015, the HVDC transmission system is expected to double the energy exchange capacity between the two countries while boosting integration of renewables.
Siemens Energy Management Division Business Unit Transmission Solutions CEO Tim Dawidowsky said: "As a link between France and Spain, this HVDC transmission project can serve as an excellent model."
In addition to fostering closer convergence in electricity prices, the HVDC link will allow Europe to benefit more widely from renewable generation in the Iberian peninsula, the company said.
The power converter stations have been constructed for the HVDC link between Baixas west of Perpignan in France and Santa Llogaia in Spain, southwest of Figueras.
The €700m HVDC link is being developed as part of a contract awarded by Interconnexion Electrique France Espagne (Inelfe), a project joint venture between the grid operators Réseau de Transport d’Electricité (RTE), Paris, and Red Eléctrica de Espana (REE), Madrid.
