Terna turbocharges investments over the next ten years. "Grid infrastructure is essential for the energy transition”. Terna's managing director, Stefano Donnarumma, starts from here, presenting the new one 2021 Development Plan of the national electricity grid. An ambitious plan that aims to make Terna the company leading the green revolution, thanks to increasingly high-performance and sustainable infrastructures that focus on renewable energy. The commitments made translate into a 25% increase in investments compared to the previous plan, bringing the resources allocated for the next 10 years to 18,1 billion euro. “Our investment benefits the entire international electricity system”, highlights the CEO. A declaration that is reflected in the estimates of the environmental impact of the plan: thanks to the projects planned for the next 10 years, Terna aims to reduce CO emissions2 for 5,6 million tons per year (almost double compared to the previous plan) and to demolish 4.600 km of obsolete infrastructure (about 800 km more than the previous plan).
The new development plan of the company chaired by Valentina Bosetti was illustrated today, 7 July, during a press conference attended by the president of Arera, Stefano Besseghini, and the minister of ecological transition, Roberto Cingolani.
“The new 2021 Development Plan envisages, over the next ten years, a strong acceleration of investments, the highest ever, which reflects the important historical moment we are experiencing: in order to achieve the decarbonisation objectives that Italy and Europe have set themselves, it is in fact necessary not only to have a clear vision of the future, but also above all knowing how to program and carry out all the works essential to the concrete realization of the energy transition, of which Terna is director”, said Donnarumma. The manager underlined that “every billion invested in infrastructure generates it between two and three in terms of GDP and allows for the creation of many new jobs”.
"Terna's 2021 ten-year development plan" is an efficient planning exercise with an analysis of costs and benefits that is able to give us guidance not only in terms of infrastructure and technique and of upgrading at no cost but which allows us to make a careful assessment of the benefits that individual initiatives are able to bring back to the system", confirmed the president of Arera, Stefano Besseghini.
“With current technologies, there is only one way: to increase the electrical operation of everything that produces energy, which must not be produced by burning fossil fuels, but with renewable sources. We have no other way”, confirmed the Minister of Ecological Transition, Roberto Cingolani defining electrification “an epochal and non-negotiable challenge. “We have a capacity market problem that we need to manage intelligently and it is very important that managers and Authorities are clear that in an evolving system, every time a new auction is held, it is necessary to be broader and also more flexible and open to new technologies” , added the minister who reiterated the need to make the "auctions more inclusive" and to "minimize the costs of the transition on the bill".
INVESTMENTS
The investments envisaged in the Plan, in addition to increasing the mesh, will be useful for reinforcing the backbones between the South (where the production of electricity from renewable sources will be greater) and the North (where the demand for electricity is more sustained) and for connections between the islands and the mainland and within the islands. The resources allocated by Terna will also be used to develop infrastructure in the weakest areas, in order to improve their resilience, efficiency, sustainability and integration of renewables.
Going into the details of the plan, Terna will concentrate on 30 new infrastructures, considered strategic for the entire national electricity system. The aim will be to strengthen exchanges between market areas for greater integration of renewable sources; resolve critical issues and provide greater electrification of metropolitan areas; establish synergies with other systems; strengthen interconnections with foreign countries.
THE MAIN PROJECTS
Among the main projects that will be completed in the next 10 years, the 380 kV power line stands out 'Colunga-Calenzano' between Bologna and Florence to which 170 million euros will be reserved, the 380 kV line 'Chiaramonte Gulfi-Ciminna' (300 million euro) and the 380 kV power line 'Paternò-Pantano-Priolo' (70 million) for the Sicilian energy transition, the 380 kV line 'Bisaccia-Deliceto' between the provinces of Avellino and Foggia (40 million) and the redevelopment project of the 150 kV electricity grid in Sorrento peninsula which will allow Terna to eliminate almost 60 km of obsolete overhead power lines.
On the other hand, the entry into service of the two submarine connections is expected Tyrrhenian Link (worth 3,7 billion) between Sardinia, Sicily and Campania e Adriatic Link between Abruzzo and Marche; of the new 380 kV link 'Bolano-Paradise 2between Sicily and Calabria; of the new 380 kV power lines between Montecorvino and Benevento and between Aliano and Montecorvino.
METROPOLITAN AREAS AND ISLANDS
Terna will carry out an infrastructure reorganization plan which will also concern the main metropolitan areas of the country (including Catania, Genoa, Reggio Emilia and Rome) and the development of the grids in the islands currently not interconnected with mainland Italy. In this context, the plan anticipates the realization of two new submarine cables: one will connect the island of Giglio with Tuscany, the other will connect the island of Favignana with Sicily. To these is added thesubmarine power line between the Island of Elba and the mainland. "The 90 million euro infrastructure, 37 km long and completely 'invisible', will contribute to improving the quality of the local electricity service", underlined Terna in a note.
INTERCONNECTIONS WITH ABROAD
Looking outside Italy, Terna announces two important innovations:
- a 1,2 billion investment in the new connection line between Italy and Switzerland from 1000 MW of power, the construction of which is linked to the project to rationalize the high voltage grid of Valtellina and Valchiavenna (in the province of Sondrio);
- 750 million of resources will instead be allocated to the construction of a new submarine cable with Greece with a power of 500 MW and a length of 200 km.
The company also confirmed the project Sa.Co.I.3, the reconstruction of the connection between Sardinia-Corsica-Italy.
“These interconnections, together with the power lines between Italy-France, Italy-Tunisia and Italy-Austria, will allow our country, by virtue of its strategic geographical position, to strengthen the role of electricity hub for Europe and the Mediterranean area, becoming protagonist at an international level”, highlights the giant that manages the national electricity grid.
NEW APP COMING SOON
All the projects carried out by the company can be viewed by everyone thanks to the new one “Network Development” App, created in order to show the development interventions carried out on the national electricity grid with the latest generation multimedia tools. By opening the application, citizens will have the opportunity to learn about the plan of the fundamental works for the energy transition and to explore, with augmented reality, even extra contents within the various sections: reference context, planning process, development, benefits for the system.
