TEİAŞ Launches 400 kV Çanakkale Strait-3 Subsea Cable and Substation Project to Unlock Aegean Wind Power

Turkish transmission system operator TEİAŞ has initiated tender and procurement processes for the Çanakkale Strait-3 400 kV submarine power cable crossing an...

TEİAŞ Launches 400 kV Çanakkale Strait-3 Subsea Cable and Substation Project to Unlock Aegean Wind Power

Turkish transmission system operator TEİAŞ has initiated tender and procurement processes for the Çanakkale Strait-3 400 kV submarine power cable crossing and companion 400/154 kV GIS substations in Lapseki and Gelibolu, delivering 2,000 MW of wind power from Thrace into the Anatolian industrial grid.

Overcoming the Marmara Transmission Chokepoint

The Marmara and North Aegean regions represent Turkey’s premier onshore and upcoming offshore wind energy basins, concentrating over 6 GW of operating generation capacity. However, heavy industrial consumption in Bursa, Kocaeli, and Istanbul requires continuous power transfer across the Dardanelles strait.

Following the successful operation of the first two crossings, TEİAŞ is constructing the Çanakkale Strait-3 crossing, utilizing double-circuit 400 kV XLPE submarine cables with dynamic fiber-optic strain and temperature sensing (DSTS) along a 4.5 km subsea trench.

Twin 400/154 kV GIS Substations and 250 MVA Autotransformers

At the cable landing transition points in Lapseki (Asian side) and Gelibolu (European side), TEİAŞ is erecting enclosed 400/154 kV gas-insulated substations (GIS) equipped with 250 MVA low-loss autotransformers and high-capacity shunt reactors to manage capacitive charging currents generated by the subsea cables.

The autotransformers incorporate Step-Lap core designs with high-grade laser-cut electrical steel, paired with online dissolved gas analysis (DGA) and automated bushing power factor monitoring to ensure uncompromised reliability in saline coastal atmospheres.

Integration with the National HVDC Transmission Masterplan

The Çanakkale Strait-3 project interfaces directly with Turkey’s $28 billion 2035 Grid Master Plan, creating a reinforced 400 kV coastal ring that will subsequently connect to future ±525 kV HVDC lines planned between Thrace and Central Anatolia.

Commercial energization of the submarine link is scheduled for late 2027, eliminating over 1,500 GWh of annual wind curtailment and bolstering national energy security.