Italian Cable Project Receives Financing
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is advancing a 300 million euro loan to Terna — Rete Elettrica Nazionale S.p.A., which is responsible for electricity transmission and dispatching over the high-voltage and extra-high-voltage grid in Italy, to help finance a new submarine high-voltage power cable between the Italian mainland and Sardinia. The Sardegna-Penisola Italiana (SAPEI) project involves laying a 1000-MW power cable with a submarine section length of 420 km (261 miles) and two short land lines, linked to two converter stations.
According to the EIB, after it is completed, the link will be the deepest dc cable ever laid — 1600 m (5249 ft) at the deepest point, breaking the record of 1000 m (3281 ft) for the Italy-Greece link, which was also undertaken by Terna and partly financed by the EIB. The length of the cable is also one of the longest ever laid. SAPEI will replace the dc power line between Sardinia, Corsica and Italy (SACOI), and encourage the development of wind power on Sardinia. The new cable will improve the reliability and stability of the Sardinian power grid and enable the electricity generated by wind farms, which are being developed on the island, to be transmitted to the mainland.
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