Last December 8th, the European Commission announced the approval of a grant of about 307 million euros for the implementation of ELMED, the underwater interconnection project between Italy and Tunisia, strongly promoted by our members TERNA and STEG.
The 230 km submarine cable will connect the substations of Partanna, in Sicily and Hawaria, in Tunisia, with a capacity of 600 MW and it is expected to be completed by 2027. Its total cost should amount to 850 million euros.
The approval of this project, included in Med-TSO’s Masterplan of Interconnections since its first edition in 2018, marks an historical step towards the creation of the Mediterranean electricity markets through the integration of the grids of the north and south shores of the Mediterranean and it will be fundamental to strengthening the energy security of the region and increase electricity production from renewable sources.
A detailed description of the project can be also found in Med-TSO’s “Mediterranean Project 2” Masterplan.