(Finance) – The President of the Sicilian Region Renato Schifani andCEO and General Manager of Terna Giuseppina Di Foggia they signed today at the Palazzo d’Orléans in Palermo an Memorandum of Understanding for the implementation of Elmed construction activities, the electrical interconnection between Italy and Tunisia authorized last May by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security. The agreement aims to strengthen the synergy between the Region and Terna in the preparatory phases for the start of the works and to facilitate all the interventions connected to the construction and operation of the work.
The regional administrationwithin its area of competence, will guarantee the National Electricity Grid Manager support for finalizing the procedures necessary for the executive planning of the interventions and the construction of the infrastructures. In turn, Terna has committed to ensuring continuous alignment on planned activities, to minimize the impacts that construction sites will have on local communities.
Furthermore, the Sicilian Region and Terna have shared a project for the new work agreement for the implementation of territorial and environmental redevelopment works of collective interest. In detail, Terna will provide a contribution of one million euros for environmental compensation works that the Region will integrate with another 4 million from the Development and Cohesion Fund (FSC): in total 5 million euros that will be used for the partial reconstruction, with the original pieces (so-called “anastylosis”), of the southern columns of temple “G” in Archaeological Park of Selinunte, the largest in Western Greece after the Temple of Olympian Zeus in Akragas. Impressive also in height, the temple was about 30 meters high, with columns over 16 meters high; its construction began around 530 BC, but it had not yet been completed in 409 BC, the date of the destruction of the city of Selinunte by the Carthaginians.
Further contributions will be provided by the Company to the two municipalities involved: 600 thousand euros to Castelvetrano and 2 million euros to Partanna.
“The electrical connection between Italy and Tunisia – he states Schfani – is a strategic work for Italy and is part of the ongoing energy transition process. The positive effects of its construction will affect the entire ‘country system’: Elmed was in fact included by the national government in the Mattei Plan. In this context, Sicily plays a leading role both for its geographical position at the center of the Mediterranean and because it presents itself as an energy hub, thus targeting one of the most strategic sectors in the creation of economic development. Terna, whom I thank, has also accepted my request to contribute financially to compensate for the work in the area. With the additional resources that the Region has allocated with the cohesion agreement, a concrete intervention will be carried out in the territory, namely the reconstruction of the columns of the ‘G’ temple of Selinunte”.
“Sicily – he declares From Foggia – with over three billion euros of investments over the next five years for the development of technologically advanced and sustainable electricity networks, is involved in interventions that will make a fundamental contribution to the country’s energy transition and decarbonisation process. Among these, the interconnection between Italy and Tunisia that will increase the level of adequacy of our country’s electricity system and diversify supply sources by connecting Europe to North Africa. Today’s agreement, in addition to being an important step in the progress of the work, confirms Terna’s commitment to creating strategic infrastructures through close collaboration with local institutions and the territories involved”.