Italian transmission system operator Terna has announced investments of more than 21 billion euros in the country's transmission grid over the next 10 years. The investment has been announced as part of the company's 2023 National Transmission Grid Development Plan, which aims to promote the environmental sustainability of Italy's electricity system. It also aims to accelerate the energy transition and contribute to the decarbonization of the country.

According to Terna, the total investment will exceed 30 billion euros, taking into account the entire life cycle of the project beyond the ten-year framework of the development plan. As part of the investment, TSO Italy is planning to build the Hypergrid network, a project involving overhead and subsea HVDC links that will cover most of Italy.

The Hypergrid network has five backbones, namely HVDC Milan-Montalto, Central Link, Sardinian Backbone, Ionian-Tyrrhenian Backbone and Adriatic Backbone. The five backbone networks received investments of approximately EUR 2.7 billion, EUR 300 million, EUR 1.4 billion, EUR 4.1 billion and EUR 2.4 billion respectively. With the Hypergrid network, the transmission system operator hopes to increase the switching capacity between market areas from the existing 16GW to more than 30GW.

The projects included in the company's new development plan are expected to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 12,000 kilotons per year by 2040. Other major projects in Terna's 2023 development plan include the 84km-long Colunga-Calenzano, the 170km-long Chiaramonte Gulfi-Ciminna and the 60km-long Paternò-Pantano-Priolo transmission line, each with a capacity of 380kV. Investments in transmission projects amounted to EUR 250 million, EUR 480 million and EUR 325 million, respectively.

According to Terna CEO Stefano Donnarum, the investments included in the 2023 development plan are the highest in Terna's history and will contribute decisively to the energy transition and the achievement of the goals adopted in Europe and Italy. In today's particularly challenging context, long-term planning has never been more important, and a coordinated effort between institutions enables Italy to seize all the opportunities presented by the transformation. Renewable energies are our oil: enabling their distribution and integration is part of our mission as head of the electricity system and will be a decisive factor in ensuring Italy's energy security. Editor/XingWentao