USD 63 million was well estimated from SARI/Energy Maldives-Submarine cable Interconnection – a pre-feasibility study which includes additional power generation in Hulhumale to secure future demand of Hulhumale, Thilafushi, Villigili, and Male (110 MW build up in Hulhumale by 2030) in addition to dual cable as a failsafe. These approximated amounts do not include power generation costs. For submarine cable installation, the cost was estimated to be USD 26.4 million from Male to Hulhumale USD 10.9 million from Male to Villingilli and USD 26 million from Villingilli to Thilafushi. Considering the distance, the expense of submarine cable installation would be higher than a typical overhead transmission line. Technically, it needs a submarine cable interconnection between the islands of the greater Male region. It would be rational to have an intra-power grid connection among these major zones of Male. The Greater Male region (Thilafushi, Gulhifushi, Male, Hulhumale, and Villingili islands) is predominantly active in terms of economic growth, population density, increasing GDP, and tourism sector development. There are more than a thousand islands spread out over an area of 865 km from north to south and only 185 of them are inhabited. Male, the capital city, is 564 km and 728 km away from the closest parts of India and Sri Lanka respectively. Subsequently, in consideration of fulfilling power demand and sustainable economic development, it is worth giving a second thought to the true necessity of inter/intra-country power transmission/trading in Maldives. It is self-evident that Maldives falls under the remote zone, a country that consists of numerous pieces of lands along with significant inter-country geographic detachment. The isolation of Maldives in cross border power trading was well stipulated on SAARC Regional Energy Trade Study (SRETS). However, it has been difficult to ensure grid connectivity between all the SAARC member countries due to geopolitical complexity and geographic limitation – a country which is noticeably secluded from the rest of the neighboring countries. The ongoing demand for power among the South Asian countries, surrounding Central Asian Sub-region, recommends a technically and economically viable cross-border electricity trading.
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