The big novelty of the new European electricity grid cycle passes through the Mediterranean. ENTSO-E, the European network of electricity transmission system operators, has published the complete portfolio of TYNDP 2026, which includes 199 transmission projects, and among them appear two submarine connections between Spain and Italy: Apollo Link and Iberia Link.
The objective is to open a new electrical corridor between the Iberian Peninsula and northern Italy, one of the industrial zones with the highest consumption in Europe.
Apollo Link already appeared in previous TYNDP collections as an interconnector between Spain and Italy, while the 2026 plan expands the portfolio and confirms that Europe continues to study this type of links to strengthen a more interconnected and resilient network. In parallel, the TYNDP process itself indicates that the evaluation results will arrive with the draft plan in the fourth quarter of 2026, so a definitive green light cannot yet be spoken of.
Why these submarine cables matter so much to Spain
The Iberian Peninsula continues to carry an uncomfortable label: energy island. Spain generates more and more renewable electricity, especially solar and wind, but cannot always export it with ease to the rest of Europe due to a lack of sufficient interconnections.
That limitation reduces the capacity to evacuate surpluses and also complicates imports in times of tension. The TYNDP's own approach is precisely to reinforce the European grid so that energy flows between borders with fewer bottlenecks.
That's where the submarine cable comes in as a strategic piece. An electrical corridor with Italy would allow part of the Spanish renewable surplus to be taken to a market with strong industrial demand, improving the utilization of generation and at the same time reinforcing supply security. It would not by itself solve the isolation of the Peninsula, but it would represent a relevant advance in a direction that Brussels and the sector consider a priority.
That reading emerges from the role that ENTSO-E assigns to these interconnections within the European network.
Apollo Link and Iberia Link: what is known about each project
Of the two, Apollo Link is the most ambitious in capacity. Its official website presents it as an HVDC interconnector between Spain and Italy included in the European TYNDP and in Italian national planning, with an estimated entry into service date in 2032.
The project relies on bipolar HVDC technology with VSC converters, designed for long-distance submarine links and to provide greater stability to the system.
Iberia Link, for its part, appears cited in recent sectoral information as a second submarine cable between southern Spain and northern Italy, with a capacity lower than Apollo Link but with a long route. On this project there is less accessible primary public information than on Apollo Link, beyond its presence in the sectoral conversation linked to TYNDP 2026.
The key nuance: they are under study, not approved
Here is the part that should not be glossed over: that they appear in the TYNDP 2026 does not mean that they will necessarily be built. ENTSO-E makes it clear that the plan includes projects proposed by their promoters and subject to admission criteria, but their inclusion in the portfolio does not equate to final regulatory approval. In fact, the European documentation itself indicates that Apollo Link has been surrounded by reservations due to the project's lack of maturity and that its candidacy must undergo new cost-benefit and common interest evaluations.
Furthermore, these projects are not born as initiatives of the state grid operators. Sectoral information published in Spain maintains that behind them are private promoters and that they do not initially have the formal backing of Red Eléctrica or Terna, the Italian operator. That point is relevant because it lowers any triumphalist reading: right now we are talking about projects with geostrategic potential, yes, but still far from becoming a reality.
What can change if the submarine cable goes ahead
If a connection of this type were to be executed, the impact would be greater than that of a simple technical work. We are talking about the capacity to move electricity between two markets, smooth out episodes of extreme prices, reinforce system security, and increase the European integration of renewables. In a context of electrification and geopolitical tension over energy, that turns the submarine cable into something more than infrastructure: it would be a tool for shared energy sovereignty.