The submarine cable that will connect Antarctica and the South American continent in a “triple-bottom” system is in the final stages of development and has been approved by the South Pole Commission.
The submarine cable will link Antarctica with South America, and from there will link the two continents by a cable across the South Atlantic Ocean.
The $7.5bn project will be one of several in the region in the next few years, including the construction of the Trans-Antarctic Express (TAX) railway, the construction and completion of the South-South railway between the UK and South Africa, and the completion of a high-speed railway between South America and China.
“This is a truly historic achievement for the people of South America,” said David Shearman, South Pole director general, in a statement.
“Together, the three continents will become more interconnected than ever before.”
The project will link two of the continent’s most polar regions, Antarctica and Chile.
It will be built with $3.3bn from the US and $3bn by South Africa.
The proposed system would run through the Andes Mountains of South American territory and link up with the Transpacific Highway between the US, UK and Australia, which is already under construction.
“The Transpacit will connect the continents to one another,” the statement added.
“In the next decade, the project will enable the South America-Antarcas continent to become a single connected continent.”
The Trans Pacific Highway is currently under construction between South Korea and Japan, which will link up a network of 12 high-voltage cables between the Pacific Ocean and Asia, with the completion expected by 2025.
South Korea is also constructing a railway between China and Japan that is expected to connect the continent with its east coast.