(Finance) – The 220 kV power line with a completely underground cable connecting Italy and Austria has entered into operation. The total investment for the work carried out by Terna, the company that manages the national electricity transmission network, it was 80 million euros. The link develops for 28 km along the Italian-Austrian border and unites the electrical stations of Glorenza (in the province of Bolzano) and Nauders (the first Austrian city after the Alpine pass of the Resia Pass). The work allows the two countries to increase their imported electricity exchange capacity by 300 MW, doubling the current one, promoting greater integration of renewable sources and increasing the reliability of the electricity grid in the areas involved.
“The interconnection with Austria is a further and significant step forward in the development path of an increasingly safe, efficient and interconnected European electricity grid – he declared Giuseppina Di Foggia, CEO and General Manager of Terna –. Terna’s ten-year Development Plan envisages an overall investment of 2 billion euros for the strengthening of interconnections with foreign countries, which will allow an ever-increasing integration of renewable sources, making a significant contribution to achieving the objectives set by the energy transition” .
For the Italian side, the intervention, which falls within the regulatory framework defined by the art. 32 of law 99/2009, was promoted by Resia company with which Terna has signed a contractual framework for consideration which regulates its creation, operation and maintenance. In addition, the connection with Austria will guarantee greater exchanges of electricity, channeling energy from abroad at the lowest cost towards the centers of greatest consumption, with consequent benefits for the national electricity system.
The construction sites, which involved numerous specialized companies, were started at the end of 2020 by Terna in coordination with APG, the operator of the Austrian electricity grid.
The work – Terna says – is the result of a long decision-making process participated by the territory during which the company included, from the initial stages, the population, bodies and all local institutions.