Terna: Prysmian wins contract for new undersea cable link between Island of Elba and mainland

TERNA: PRYSMIAN WINS CONTRACT FOR NEW UNDERSEA CABLE LINK BETWEEN ISLAND OF ELBA AND MAINLAND

Terna will invest a total of € 90 million in the power line

The completely "invisible" connection will strengthen the efficiency, sustainability and quality of the

electricity system on the island of Elba and in the Piombino area

Rome, 23 November 2021 - Following a European tender, Terna has awarded the contract for the construction of a new 132 kV undersea power line to Prysmian, a leading company in cable systems for energy and telecommunications. The project will connect the primary cabins of Portoferraio, on the Island of Elba, and Colmata, in the Municipality of Piombino (Livorno).

The authorisation decree for the new interconnection was signed by the Ministry of Ecological Transition last May, and now, starting with the contract awarded today, the company that manages the national electricity grid will invest a total of € 90 million in promoting the island's energy development.

For this project, Prysmian will design and install a 132 kV high-voltage alternating current cable with XLPE insulation along a 34 km undersea section and a 3 km underground section.

This infrastructure is considered strategic for the development and modernisation of the national electricity grid and will allow the doubling of the connection lines between the national system and the island of Elba network. The result will be a higher quality local infrastructure and significant benefits in terms of safety and reliability for the entire island, which often experiences electricity consumption spikes especially in summer.

Terna will carry out the work through targeted and carefully-planned operations, leaving the geomorphology and landscape of the affected areas unchanged. The cable landings will, in fact, will be performed via remote-controlled drilling techniques, which will allow the pipeline installation work to proceed with minimal interference on marine habitats and reduced impact of the works on coastal areas.

The new power line, scheduled for entry into operation in 2023, is part of a € 515 million investment scheme planned by Terna over 5 years in Tuscany, and is in line with the € 8.9 billion 2021-2025 "Driving Energy" Industrial Plan.