Italy's electricity grid operator Terna and Steg, Tunisia's electricity and gas operator, have signed a 307 million euro grant agreement with the European Union executive for Elmed, an invisible power line between the two countries that will help develop renewable energy and boost employment.
The power line will run from the electrical substation at Partanna, in Sicily's province of Trapani, to the substation at Mlaabi on the Tunisian peninsula of Cape Bon, for a total length of around 220 km (most of which is submarine cable), according to a Terna statement.
Elmed will have a capacity of 600 megawatts and a maximum depth of approximately 800 metres along the Strait of Sicily, the statement said.
“The signing of the Grant Agreement marks yet another step towards the development of a strategic project for the electricity systems of the two countries and of Europe as a whole,” said Terna’s chief executive officer Giuseppina Di Foggia, quoted by the statement.
“Elmed will enable the development of renewable energy and, at the same time, deliver economic and industrial benefits, attracting investment and creating new jobs," Di Foggia added.
The Elmed 'bridge' between Europe and Africa will help to integrate electricity markets and improve energy procurement security thanks to the diversification of sources and, most importantly, the increase in renewable energy production in both continents, the statement said.
Once Elmed enters into service, the power line will also enable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, helping Italy hit its national and international energy and climate targets under Italy's Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan and Green New Deal towards the green transition and the circular economy, said the statement.
The Elmed project is set to receive around 850 million euros of investments. Of these, 307 million euros have been allocated by the European Commission through the Connecting Europe Facility (the EU fund that supports crucial projects to optimise energy infrastructure).
It is the first time that CEF funds have been allocated to an infrastructure project developed by an EU member state and a third country, the statement noted.
The World Bank recently granted $268.4 million in financing to Tunisia, aimed in part at building the converter substation (included in the scope financed by the CEF) and for internal grid reinforcements necessary to operate the interconnection.
Italy's environment ministry launched Elmed's authorisation procedure late last year and the procurement process began in May, according to the statement.
