Terna obtains approval for three interconnection lines in Sardinia

Italian power grid operator Terna SpA (BIT:TRN) has secured approval from the Region of Sardinia to invest in three projects that will improve the electricity network’s efficiency and enable the wider adoption of renewables.

The green light marks the start of the authorisation process with the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, Terna said last week.

The power grid operator’s plans for the Mediterranean island envisage the construction of a 480-km undersea power line of 1 GW DC to connect Sicily and Sardinia. The project will form the western branch of the Tyrrhenian Link, which includes a second interconnection line with another 1-GW DC undersea power route and a length of 480 km. The eastern section of the undersea cables will run from Campania to Sicily.

The EUR-3.7-billion (USD-4.07bn) Tyrrhenian Link is planned to become fully operational in 2028.

The SACOI3 project, meanwhile, calls for the installation of a 200-kV link that will upgrade an existing undersea cable between Sardinia, Corsica and the Italian mainland. The plan will entail investments of some EUR 950 million.

The last of the three approved projects will create a 3-km underground route from the existing Quartucciu-Villasimius power line to a future facility owned by a local distributor.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.099)

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