Italian electricity transmission system operator Terna is planning to invest 750 million euros to double the capacity of submarine electricity cable between Italy and Greece to 1 GW in order to accelerate renewable energy integration in both countries.
The plan envisages the construction of a new interconnector that will extend the existing 400 kV DC connection with the capacity to transfer additional 500 MW of electricity. Work on the new 500 MW link with a length of 200 kilometers should start next year, while the start of commercial operation is planned in 2030.
The project will be realized as part of Italy’s national electricity network development plan, which foresees 18.1 billion euros of investments over the next decade.
The bi-directional submarine electricity cable between Italy and Greece has carried about 40 billion kWh of electricity since its commissioning in 2002.