18.1 billion euros in investments, over the next 10 years, to enable the energy transition in Italy: on 7 July 2021, during a press conference attended by Terna Chairwoman Valentina Bosetti, CEO and General Manager Stefano Donnarumma, the Italian Minister for Ecological Transition Roberto Cingolani, and ARERA President Stefano Besseghini, the Group presented the 2021 Development Plan for the Italian electricity transmission grid.
The investment Plan, which envisages a 25% increase compared to the previous ten-year period, is aimed at favouring the development of renewable sources, and contributing to the achievement of the European Green Deal renewable targets, as well as at giving a significant boost to Italy’s economic growth.
“The 2021 Development Plan includes a strong acceleration in investments over the next ten years”, said Terna CEO and General Manager: this “reflects the important historical moment we are living through”, he added, pointing out that “to achieve the decarbonisation targets that Italy and Europe have set, it is indeed necessary not only to have a clear vision for the future, but also and above all to know how to plan and carry out all the fundamental projects needed for the material implementation of the energy transition”.
To this end, over 30 new infrastructure projects are included by Terna in the 2021 Development Plan, with high priority to strategic projects for the national electricity transmission grid. In particular, as the Group emphasized, the Plan will focus on strengthening the backbones between southern Italy – where electricity generation from renewable sources is and will be greater – and northern Italy – where demand for electricity is higher. Furthermore, investments will serve to enhance the connections between the Italian islands and the mainland, as well as the country’s foreign interconnections, with a new 1,000 MW line between Italy and Switzerland.
Among the projects included in the 2021 Development Plan, the 380 kV Colunga-Calenzano, Chiaramonte Gulfi-Ciminna, and Bisaccia-Deliceto power lines, and the redevelopment of the 150 kV electricity grid in the Sorrento peninsula. In addition, during the period of the Plan, the Tyrrhenian Link, the Adriatic Link, and the 380 kV Bolano-Paradiso 2, Montecorvino-Benevento, and Aliano-Montecorvino power lines will come into operation. The Plan also includes two new undersea cables, one connecting the Island of Giglio with Tuscany, and the other connecting the Island of Favignana with Sicily. Foreign interconnections will concern Switzerland, Greece, France, Tunisia, and Austria.
In line with Terna‘s commitment to increasingly sustainable business strategies, the 2021 Development Plan will make it possible to demolish 4,600 km of obsolete infrastructures and to cut 5.6 million tonnes of CO2 per year.