Electricity

Greece, Italy to speed up second submarine electricity interconnection project

Greece Italy speed up second submarine electricity interconnection project

Photo: Terna SpA / LinkedIn

Published

November 23, 2023

Country

Comments

comments icon

0

Share

Published:

November 23, 2023

Country:

Comments:

comments icon

0

Share

Greece and Italy are planning to triple their power interconnection capacity by 2031 by building a 1 GW undersea line. CEOs of Terna and IPTO agreed to begin the studies early next year.

Chief Executive Officer of Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO or Admie) of Greece Manos Manousakis and his counterpart Giuseppina Di Foggia from Italy-based Terna spoke in Athens about accelerating the GR.ITA 2 cable project. The feasibility study, completed last year, showed that the two countries’ interconnection capacity should be tripled by installing a 1 GW undersea line.

The heads of the transmission system operators – TSOs and other top executives agreed at a meeting to launch the necessary studies in early 2024, Energypress reported. They plan to commission the interconnector in 2031.

The proposed GR.ITA 2 interconnector would be more than 300 kilometers long

The twin high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cables between are envisaged to be accompanied by advanced voltage source converters (VSCs). The line would run between Galatina in Italy, through Melendugno, on the Adriatic coast in Apulia, under the Strait of Otranto and Ionian Sea to Thesprotia, located across the way from the southern tip of the island of Corfu in Greece.

A substation set to be installed in Thesprotia is planned to serve a new interconnection with Albania as well. The subsea section is planned to be 250 kilometers long.

Of note, Italy is the largest net importer of electricity in Europe.

Greece imported 1.5 TWh through the existing 500 MW interconnection last year and exported 2.15 TWh. The 400 kV cable of more than 300 kilometers connects Arachthos in Greece, via Aetos on the coast, with Galatina. It came online in 2001.

Manousakis and Di Foggia, who took the helm in Terna in the spring, also discussed the ways to expand and improve the electricity networks in Europe in line with the proposals tabled during an event that the European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSO-E) organized in September.

In addition, Greece is working on interconnection projects with Turkey, Egypt, Cyprus, North Macedonia and Israel.

Comments (0)

Be the first one to comment on this article.

Enter Your Comment
Please wait... Please fill in the required fields. There seems to be an error, please refresh the page and try again. Your comment has been sent.

Related Articles

ACER Zinglersen Integrate electricity markets flexibility new era already here BEF 2025

ACER’s Zinglersen: Integrate electricity markets to bolster flexibility as new era is already here

28 May 2025 - The number of hours with negative power prices reached an all-time high for two years in a row, which means a new era is here, ACER's Director Christian Zinglersen said at BEF 2025

NGEN BEF 2025 decentralized electricity grid Roman Bernard BEF 2025

NGEN showcases solutions at BEF 2025 for decentralized electricity grid of tomorrow

28 May 2025 - Slovenia-based NGEN is expanding throughout Europe with its software platforms and equipment and BESS for decentralized grids

belgrade energy forum bef 2025 flexibility services batteries koer ngen ems alteo cybergrid

BEF 2025: Digitalization, open markets, time are major preconditions for flexibility services mainstreaming

27 May 2025 - The panel called Market Flexibility: The Backbone of a Resilient Energy System was one of the eight sessions at Belgrade Energy Forum 2025

Fortis Energy Gavrilovic developing huge portfolio in SEE

Velimir Gavrilović, Fortis Energy: We are developing huge portfolio in SEE

27 May 2025 - Fortis Energy is working on renewable energy projects of 2 GW altogether in Southeast Europe, of which half is in Serbia