Terna has launched a public consultation on the future interconnection between Italy and Greece known as GR.ITA 2. Italy’s national electricity grid operator, led by Giuseppina Di Foggia, is expected to invest 750 million euros.
The first meeting with local communities and institutions will be held online on Friday 13 October and another 4 in-person meetings will be held over the following two weeks to guarantee the widest possible participation and interaction with the 7 Municipalities in the province of Lecce affected by the work.
Two 250-km submarine cables with up to 1,000 MW of power and two 50-km underground DC cables will connect the landing site in Melendugno to Galatina through the municipalities of Soleto, Sternatia, Martignano, Calimera and Carpignano Salentino. The new conversion station that will be connected to the national grid via an underground AC cable will be built in Galatina.
The new interconnection between the Italian peninsula and Greece will ensure safe management across the South. Efficient energy procurement will be made possible by enabling new resources via electricity market coupling and maintaining the exchange of energy between the countries, even when maintenance is being carried out.
Dialogue with institutions, associations and especially citizens will be essential for the project.
Supported by the Apulia Region and the municipal authorities, Terna had already launched a voluntary consultation in 2022. The “participatory planning” phase allowed the Company to propose locations for the future conversion station, the underground cables and the landing site. These project proposals are to be presented at “Terna Incontra” (Terna Meets), a series of events open to citizens and all stakeholders from 13 to 25 October.
The 60-day consultation phase comes prior to filing the project for authorisation and is carried out as per European Regulation no. 869/2022, according to the procedure already approved by the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security.
The organisation of the meetings will meet the minimum environmental criteria (MEC) defined by the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, with the aim of minimising any impact on the area. The requirements that the company has decided to comply with voluntarily will allow for lower CO2 emissions and energy consumption, the ability to choose locations that are structurally accessible and to promote products for recycling and reuse.
The scheduled events for all citizens from the Municipalities affected by the works and the Apulia Region are as follows:
Friday 13 October, 17:00-18:30 online via Teams;
Tuesday 17 October, 17:00-20:00 in Galatina in the Foyer of the Teatro Cavallino Bianco, Via Giuseppe Grassi, focusing on the municipality of Galatina (LE);
Wednesday 18 October, 17:00-20:00 in the Sternatia town hall’s multimedia room, Via Brigida Ancora 42, focusing on the municipalities of Sternatia, Soleto and Martignano (LE);
Tuesday 24 October, 17:00-20:00 in Calimera in the Calimera town hall’s “Aldo Moro” room, Via Mazzini, focusing on the municipalities of Calimera and Carpignano Salentino (LE);
Wednesday 25 October, 17:00-20:00 in Melendugno in the Melendugno town hall’s council chamber, Piazza Risorgimento 24, focusing on the municipality of Melendugno (LE);
