Construction work begins new infrastructure that will transport 220 kV electricity between Italy and Austria. The work will be completely underground and will extend for 28 kilometres, between Glorenza (in the province of Bolzano) and Nauders (in Tyrol). The realization will require about two years and will be financed by Terna, the company that manages the Italian electricity grid, with an investment equal to 85 million euro. The project is part of the acceleration of investments decided with the Business plan 2021-25 recently presented by the group.
“In coordination with the Austrian grid manager Apg – reads a note – Terna has opened the construction sites which will involve various specialized companies. The project will allow Italy and Austria to increase the electricity exchange capacity by 300 MW, doubling the current one. Furthermore, thanks to the interconnection, it will be possible to integrate renewable resources more and improve the efficiency and reliability of the electricity grid, with a consequent increase in the quality and continuity of the supply”.
Stefano Donnarumma, Terna's CEO, “this project is a fundamental step in Terna's strategy, which aims to make Italy the electricity hub of Europe. Thanks to our Industrial Plan, Italy will be increasingly connected with the Mediterranean countries on the one hand and with Austria, Switzerland and France on the other, helping Europe to achieve the challenging objectives of the Green New Deal”.
Terna currently manages 26 cross-border lines "and in the future our country will be increasingly interconnected at a continental and Mediterranean level - continues the note from the group - a fundamental condition for sustainable development and the decarbonisation of the energy mix, and crucial for market integration to the benefit also of the competitiveness of businesses".
The new power line “is the result of a long decision-making process involving the local area in which Terna has included, right from the initial stages, the population, entities and all local institutions. An activity of collaboration and involvement of the Municipalities of Curon Venosta, Malles Venosta and Sluderno (located in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano) which today allows the infrastructure to be sustainable and to ensure significant benefits for the territory and the entire national electricity system". concludes Terna.
