Terna Initiates €50 Million Underground Cable Project to Enhance Power Grid Resilience in Bolzano Province

Terna Initiates €50 Million Underground Cable Project to Enhance Power Grid Resilience in Bolzano Province

(IN BRIEF) Italian power grid operator Terna, under the leadership of Giuseppina Di Foggia, has commenced construction on a new underground cable connection spanning 22 km between Vandoies and Brunico in the province of Bolzano. With an investment of approximately €50 million, this underground power line aims to minimize its impact on the landscape while enhancing the sustainability, efficiency, and resilience of the electricity system in the region. The project, set to be completed by autumn 2025, will also ensure a reliable power supply for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Terna will collaborate with local authorities to manage the work sites and mitigate disruptions to the road network.

(PRESS RELEASE) ROME, 18-Nov-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — Italian power grid operator Terna, led by Giuseppina Di Foggia, started work on the construction of a new underground cable connection between Vandoies and Brunico in the province of Bolzano.

Terna is investing around 50 million euros in this new power line, which will span 22 km and will be completely underground, thus reducing its impact on the landscape. A good stretch of the corridor will run along the Rienza river valley floor, along the main route of the former SS 49 “della Pusteria” trunk road, between the municipalities of Vandoies, Chienes, San Lorenzo di Sebato, and Brunico. The line will connect Terna’s new power substation in Vandoies, near the local distributor’s future primary substation, to the existing primary substation in Brunico. The substation was built using compact gas-insulated technology with reduced land take and is designed to blend in with the surrounding mountain landscape.

The project will boost the sustainability, efficiency and, most importantly, resilience of the electricity system in an area that has been battered by frequent extreme weather events in recent years. Moreover it will ensure the absolute reliability of the power supply for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

The work will begin in the municipality of Vandoies along the Strada Val Pusteria near the industrial area, and the initial phase will focus on the civil works required in preparation for cable laying. In 2024, several work sites will be active simultaneously, progressively affecting the other municipalities on the route, with the goal of project completion by autumn 2025.

The work sites will be managed by Terna in conjunction with the Province of Bolzano, the local administrations and the bodies involved, with the aim of minimising the impact on the road network.

Media Contact:

Tel: +39 06 83139081
Fax: +39 06 83138372
e-mail: ufficio.stampa@terna.it

SOURCE: TERNA S.p.A.