Il Tyrrhenian Link takes a further step forward. It has been launched at twisted river, in the Municipality of Termini Imerese (Palermo), the first phase of the laying of the East Branch Submarine Cable of the electrical infrastructure that will connect Sicily and Campania. An important project in which Terna is investing a total of 3,7 billion euros.
“The work plays a crucial role in the decarbonization path foreseen by the National Integrated Plan for Energy and Climate (Pniec), increasing transport capacity and promoting the energy transition. Furthermore, it will contribute to improving the safety, adequacy and flexibility of the national electricity transmission network”, underlines in a note the group led by Giuseppina Di Foggia.
What is Tyrrhenian Link
The Tyrrhenian Link project includes the construction of two submarine power lines in direct current at 500 kV which will connect Sicily to Sardinia and to the Italian peninsula for a total of 970 km of cable and a transport capacity of 1.000 MW for each section. The overall project is divided into two sections: the eastern one, from Sicily to Campania, and the West one, from Sicily to Sardinia. The first is about 490 km long and connects the landing of Fiumetorto in the municipality of Termini Imerese, in Sicily, to the landing of Torre Tuscia Magazzeno in Battipaglia, in Campania. The second is about 480 km long and connects the landing of Fiumetorto to that of Terra Mala, in Sardinia.
The eastern branch of the Tyrrhenian Link
The production and laying of the submarine cable along the route Termini Imerese (PA)-Battipaglia (SA), carried out with the ship Leonardo da Vinci, are entrusted to Prysmian, which in 2021 was awarded the framework contract for the design, supply, installation and testing of over 1.500 km of cables. “For Prysmian, but also for the entire sector, this is a record installation: for the first time an HVDC cable will be laid at a depth of 2.150 metres, setting new market standards”, Terna highlights.
The eastern branch of the project, which benefits from €500 million in funding under the REPowerEU chapter approved by the European Council in December 2023, was authorised by the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security at the end of 2022.
In Campania, the construction of a conversion station is planned in Eboli (Salerno), connected to the Torre Tuscia Magazzeno landing place through an underground power line of approximately 15 km, designed to minimize the environmental and landscape impact.
Similarly, in Sicily the conversion station will be built in Termini Imerese, in the Caracoli area, and will be connected to the Fiumetorto landing place with an underground cable path of about 10 km. In Caracoli a new 380 kV section will also be built inside the existing station.
The entire project will be operational in 2028, with the entry into service of the first pole of the eastern branch scheduled for 2026.
