Electricity, complex challenges for the 'director' of the system

In a geopolitical context made more and more uncertain by frequent shocks, such as the new conflict front in the Middle East, energy security becomes a priority that must be further accelerated, and its proper implementation makes the role of the TSO (Transmission System Operator or grid operator) such as Terna even more central. The latter are thus called upon to face increasingly complex challenges to ensure the proper development of the electricity system, which, together with the integration of renewables and storage, is to be considered a fundamental lever not only for energy security, but also for the country's competitiveness. This is the very clear message that emerges from the study 'Security and energy independence: the transmission grid as a lever for Italia's competitiveness', promoted by the Teha Group and the group headed by Giuseppina Di Foggia, presented yesterday in Rome.

The analysis takes as its starting point a precise snapshot of the evolution of renewable energy sources and the record set by the European Union where, in 2025, the share of electricity generation from solar and wind power (30%) surpassed, for the first time, that from fossil fuels (29%). A bar that, according to the study, is even higher if other sources are included. And a similar trend can also be observed in Italia where, over the past 20 years, the share of renewable generation has almost tripled, while thermoelectric production has fallen by over 40 per cent. With positive repercussions on energy security as well: thanks to the growth of renewables, the system's energy dependency - which remains, the study points out, still significantly exposed to gas price volatility - has in fact been reduced by around 9 percentage points between 2010 and 2024.

The growing contribution of renewables is therefore crucial, but it brings new challenges and operating complexities for the electricity system in terms of both frequency and voltage regulation, which must be met with adequate investment in human resources, skills, assets and technology. And here the study shines a spotlight on the role of Italy's TSO and, above all, on the moves taken by the group led by Giuseppina Di Foggia to enable an ever greater integration of renewables, accompanying this progression with the planning and parallel implementation of storage systems and keeping the bar continually pointed at the safety and adequacy of the electricity system.

A wide-ranging action, therefore, that Terna is pursuing supported by a 10-year development plan in which investments of 23 billion euro are foreseen by 2034, with an increase in trading capacity of 23 gigawatts (from the current 16 to 39 GW) and the strengthening of interconnections with foreign countries. A component, the latter, whose importance has emerged in critical events. Suffice it to think, the study suggests, that the substation failure in Croatia in January 2021 and the shutdown of the Krško nuclear plant put the regional grid under pressure. Similarly, in the Western Balkans blackout of June 2024, the coordination of Italy's Tso with its European counterparts helped to avoid wider propagation and ensure a rapid resumption of service. Several hubs, therefore, but all sending the same message: namely, the value of an integrated infrastructure and coordinated management at European level to preserve system stability.

The trajectory, therefore, appears clear, but the Teha Group analysis also examines it from another perspective, measuring the efficiency of Italia's electricity system against its main European peers. And the comparison highlights that the grid managed by Terna stands out for high levels of efficiency, service quality and safety. In 2024 (latest available data), Italia's cost was, in fact, among the lowest in Europe: 11.2 euros per megawatt hour (MWh), 7% lower than in France (12.1 euros/MWh), 25% lower than in Spain (15 euros/MWh), and 74% lower than in Germany (42.4 euros/MWh). Not only that. The Italia system, the analysis presented yesterday further clarifies, has also shown that it spends better in perspective: for every additional gigawatt (GW) of Fer installed, Terna enables the energy transition with more efficient investments. Specifically, the unit cost of integrating 1 gigawatt of renewables is EUR 0.38 billion in Italia, against an average of EUR 0.85 billion in Germany (EUR 0.75 billion), France (EUR 0.91 billion) and the UK (EUR 0.92 billion).