The Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) has authorized Terna’s Bolano-Annunziata, the 380 kV alternating current submarine power line, to connect Sicily and Calabria.
The company will invest $142.96 million for the realization of the project, which is strategic for the Sicilian grid and the entire national electricity system.
The infrastructure will not only increase the interconnection capacity between Sicily and the mainland to up to 2,000 MW, benefiting the development and integration of renewable energy sources planned in Southern Italy, but also improve grid meshing and operational flexibility, making the electrical systems of Southern Italy and the Island secure.
“With the new infrastructure, the Island will be connected by three 380 kV power lines to the mainland, which will make the integration of the growing renewable energy production in Sicily even more efficient within the national electrical system,” said Giuseppina Di Foggia, CEO and General Manager of Terna.
The project involves laying an approximately 7.5 km submarine power cable to connect the Calabrian coast in the province of Reggio Calabria to the Sicilian coast in the province of Messina. Additionally, Terna will build two underground power lines from the landing points of the submarine cable to the electrical stations of Annunziata in the Municipality of Messina and Bolano in the Municipality of Villa San Giovanni, which will be approximately 3 km on the Sicilian side and about 500 meters on the Calabrian side.
The entire power line will be equipped with a fiber optic connection for data transmission.
Sicily and Calabria are connected by two 380 kV power lines, namely the Sorgente-Rizziconi connection (between Scilla and Villafranca) and the Bolano-Paradiso line. Terna is modernizing the land section within the municipality of Messina for this second infrastructure.
