Terna and Autonomous Province of Bolzano Sign Agreement for Eisack Valley Electricity Grid Restructuring

(IN BRIEF) Terna, in collaboration with the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, has signed an agreement to facilitate the restructuring of the electricity grid in the Eisack Valley. The project, with an investment of 300 million euros, involves the demolition of existing overhead equipment and underground electrical lines, as well as the construction of localised variants to remove electrical assets from town centres. Over one-third of the 190 km of new high-voltage lines will be underground, improving the environment and landscape. The initiative aims to enhance the power supply on the Brennero rail link and contribute to the region’s sustainability and development.

(PRESS RELEASE) ROME, 16-Sep-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — The President of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, Arno Kompatscher, and Terna’s Head of Electricity Planning and Authorisations Enrico Maria Carlini, have signed an agreement to facilitate the restructuring of the electricity grid in the Eisack Valley. The event, held at the town hall of Bressanone, was also attended by the Provincial Councillor for Energy, Giuliano Vettorato, the Deputy Mayor of Bressanone Ferdinando Stablum, the President of the Eisack Valley Community Walter Baumgartner, and the Director of the Provincial Agency for the Environment and Climate Protection, Flavio Ruffini.

The agreement will see the completion of the works originally included in the Eisack Valley grid restructuring plan (currently pending authorisation from the Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security). Terna’s investment amounts to 300 million euros, of which 22 million will be funded by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano. The works will involve the demolition of the existing overhead equipment and underground electrical lines, and the construction of localised variants to remove the electrical assets from town centres.

The scope of work was agreed by Terna with the Autonomous Province of Bolzano and is the result of a planning process undertaken with community participation, to verify the technical feasibility of the works and integrate them within the overall project.

“Today’s agreement – commented Enrico Maria Carlini, Terna’s Head of Grid Planning and Authorisations – has been made with a view to increasing the resilience and safety of the local network by quickly making new infrastructure available to serve the high-capacity high-speed Brennero rail link, while also consolidating our collaboration with the Autonomous Province of Bolzano in order to draw up a shared plan of works which are sustainable both environmentally and for the local community”.

“This is a historic moment for our area – declared Arno Kompatscher, President of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – The project to restructure the HV network in the Eisack Valley will not only guarantee a safe electricity supply but will also make a significant contribution to improving the quality of life for local people. Over one-third of the 190 km of new HV line will be underground and invisible, which will obviously be a significant improvement for the environment and landscape. Terna’s 300 million euro investment in our area will have important implications for our community, also thanks to the close and ongoing collaboration between Terna, the provincial government and the other local authorities involved. This is the first time that Terna has embarked on a participatory process for this area, which has involved the entire community and led to the new project “roadmap”. This important cooperation is a great opportunity for development and a shining example of sustainability for this community”.

“We are now taking another step forward into the future – added Giuliano Vettorato, Energy Councillor at the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – The signing of today’s agreement between the provincial government and Terna will pave the way for a new high-voltage electricity system in the Eisack Valley. It comes after years of innovative participatory planning alongside Terna and RFI, with the collaboration of local councils and citizens who have been consulted and given the opportunity to attend informative meetings before expressing their observations on how the project should be implemented. The aim is to make the local electricity grid safer, more efficient and sustainable; this will allow us to exploit the renewable energy sources which are plentiful in this area, with the advantage of freeing up the landscape from the existing electricity infrastructure. This is the way forward for the Alto Adige of the future”.

The restructuring of the Eisack Valley electricity grid, as provided for in the memorandum of understanding signed in 2018 by Terna, the Autonomous Province of Bolzano and RFI, will upgrade the power supply on the Brennero rail link thanks to 190 km of new lines, of which more than a third will be ‘invisible’ as they will be underground. Terna will demolish 260 km of overhead lines and more than 1200 pylons, freeing up more than 600 hectares of land to benefit the environment and local communities.

The completion of this project, one of the most complex ever seen in a single intervention, confirms and reinforces Terna’s role as a leader and facilitator of the energy transition. As many of the sites benefiting from the extensive upgrade are located at high altitude, specialised environmental studies were required to ensure that this important project is carried out in harmony with the local environment and with a view to improving the sustainability of the electricity supply.

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SOURCE: TERNA S.p.A.