Italy-Austria powerline interconnection enters operation
Rome: A new 220kV underground powerline interconnection between Italy and Austria has entered into operation.
The fully underground interconnection extends for 28km along the Italian-Austrian border, linking the power substations of Glorenza in northern Italy and Nauders, the first city on the Austrian side of the Reschen Pass.
The project allows the two countries to increase the maximum import capacity to 300MW, doubling the current capacity and thereby promoting greater integration of renewable sources and improvements in the reliability of the electrical grid in the border region.
In addition, the infrastructure will enable the transport of lower cost electricity towards energy intensive areas, resulting in benefits for the national electrical system.
“The interconnection with Austria is a further and significant step forward for the development of an increasingly secure, efficient and interconnected European power grid,” said Giuseppina Di Foggia, CEO and General Manager of Italy’s TSO Terna, which contributed a total investment of €80 million (US$89 million) for the project.
“Terna’s ten-year development plan foresees a total investment of €2 billion for strengthening international interconnections, allowing for growing integration of renewable sources and significantly contributing to the achievement of the targets set by the energy transition.”
On the Italian side, the project was promoted by Terna’s subsidiary Resia Interconnector, as part of a framework agreement with Terna regulating its realisation, operation and maintenance.
Terna in turn completed the sale of the entire capital of Resia Interconnector to a consortium comprised of Interconnector Energy Italia, Consorzio Toscana Energia and VDP Fonderia through agreements for the construction and operation of the private section of the interconnection located in Italy.
Construction started at the end of 2020 in coordination with Austria’s TSO, Austrian Power Grid.
On the Austrian side, APG has invested around €91.5 million for new 220kV line, the new Nauders substation and a 380kV connection to the Austria-wide power grid at its West Tyrol substation.
Christoph Schuh, spokesperson for APG, said the new connection is of enormous importance for achieving climate targets.
“The intensive use of hydropower in the west of Austria and the envisaged further expansion of wind power and photovoltaics in Italy and Europe will lead to an increased exchange of electricity between all countries in the Alpine region. In order to be able to manage this, new line and substation capacities are required.”
The Italy-Austria interconnection was one of those in the ENTSO-E’s ten year plan.
Other interconnections that Terna is developing are between Italy and France, Italy and Tunisia and Italy, Corsica and Sardinia.
