ROME (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Ministry of Environment and Energy Security authorized Elmed, the electrical interconnection between Italy and Tunisia. Terna and STEG, the operator of the Tunisian network will carry out the project following the decree issued on May, 10.
The power line, with a total investment of about 850 million euros, will have a total length of about 220 km, most of which consists of a submarine cable. The 600 MW current connection will reach a maximum depth of about 800 meters along the Sicilian Channel.
“The authorization of the new interconnection between Italy and Tunisia,” said Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, “in addition to being an important milestone within the challenging objectives of energy transition set in the PNIEC, will allow the country, by its strategic geographical position, to strengthen the role of electric ‘hub’ in Europe and the Mediterranean area, becoming a protagonist at the international level.”
“Interconnected and technologically advanced networks are the basis of a safe and sustainable electrical system. Elmed is one of the most significant projects of the Terna Business Plan 2024-2028, and the authorization obtained by the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security is an important step towards its realization,” stressed Giuseppina Di Foggia, Managing Director and General Manager of Terna. “Once in operation, the investment will make a significant contribution to less carbonization. In this sense, interconnections are a necessary tool to increase our country’s level of energy independence and to diversify its energy supply sources. Africa today represents a land of opportunity: investment, infrastructure, and skills transfer are the key factors for solid and lasting collaborations,” explained Di Foggia.
“The definitive authorization of the new power line that will connect Italy and Tunisia is a great achievement in the energy transition process that sees our country on the front line,” commented the President of the Sicilian Region Renato Schifani. He described this latest development as “a goal for which Sicily has played a leading role and represents a great strategic opportunity for the new challenges that see Europe and Africa increasingly linked. Thanks to its geographical location and its environmental characteristics, the Island is a candidate to become an important national energy hub, with considerable repercussions in terms of economic development”.
The work authorized by the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, which will consist of an 18km terrestrial cable will start from Castelvetrano (Trapani) to a newly built station in Partanna (Trapani), near the existing electrical station. In Tunisia, the power station will be built in Mlaabi, on the Cape Bon peninsula.
This authorized project forms part of the Mattei Plan. The Italy-Tunisia electric interconnector is also part of the strategic work for the Italian electricity system within the framework of the energy transition objectives set by the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC). It aims to improve the integration of the markets of the European Union and the North African countries. Elmed also ensures greater development of renewable sources and improved security of energy supply.
Of the total investment, 307 million euros from the total investment, were allocated by the European Commission through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding program for the development of key projects aimed at strengthening the Community’s energy infrastructure. This is the first time that the European Union has financed a project in which one of the countries involved is not part of the Union.
– photo Terna –
(ITALPRESS).
