Terna: work begins on laying the submarine cables for the power line between Calabria and Sicily
Terna, the company led by its CEO and Managing Director Pasqualino Monti, has commenced work on laying the submarine cables for the “Bolano-Annunziata” power line, the 380 kV alternating current connection between Sicily and Calabria. The work has been entrusted to Prysmian, which is manufacturing the cables and laying them using the vessel Leonardo da Vinci. The company announced this in a statement.
This project, which is of strategic importance to the national electricity system, will enable the power-exchange capacity between the island and the mainland to be increased to 2,000 MW, improving the operational flexibility of the grid and facilitating greater integration of energy generation from renewable sources. The project introduces a significant technological innovation: for the first time on the National Transmission Grid, 380 kV alternating current submarine cables with XLPE (extruded cross-linked polyethylene) insulation will be installed. The link will also be equipped with a monitoring solution supplied by Prysmian and developed at its centre of excellence in Palermo.
The offshore operations involve the installation of three submarine cables, each approximately 7.5 km long, between the coasts of the province of Reggio Calabria and those of the province of Messina, down to a maximum depth of approximately 250 metres. The laying of the first cable, completed in recent days, covered the section between the landing point at Bolano, in Calabria, and that at Annunziata, in Messina.
The installation of the second cable, which follows the same stretch of sea, is now nearing completion. Work will then continue with the laying of the third cable, which is due to be completed by the beginning of November. The connection will complement the existing power lines between Calabria and Sicily, including the ‘Sorgente-Rizziconi’ line, which came into operation in 2016, and the ‘Bolano-Paradiso’ line, which dates back to the 1980s. It will thus help to strengthen the grid and increase the capacity for transmitting electricity between the island and the mainland.
As regards the onshore works, – explains Terna – two underground connections are planned to link the landing points of the submarine cables to the substations at Annunziata, in the municipality of Messina, and Bolano, in the municipality of Villa San Giovanni, both of which are currently under construction. The routes will extend for approximately 3 km on the Sicilian side and for approximately 500 metres on the Calabrian side.
