Italy / Tunisia: Terna and STEG have awarded Hitachi Energy a contract worth around $875 M (€770 M) for the converter stations of the Elmed project, the first DC electricity interconnection between Europe and North Africa.
Terna manages Italy’s national transmission grid, while STEG is Tunisia’s electricity and gas grid operator. The contract marks the completion of the procurement process for the first HVDC submarine link between Italy and Tunisia.
The converter stations will be built in Partanna, in the Sicilian province of Trapani, and in Mlaabi, on Tunisia’s Cape Bon peninsula. The 600 MW link will extend for about 220 km, mainly through submarine cable, reaching a maximum depth of around 800 m in the Strait of Sicily.
Hitachi Energy will provide the HVDC solution, including converter valves, the MACH digital control platform, power transformers and high-voltage switchgear. Its scope also covers system studies, design and engineering, supply, installation supervision and commissioning.
Civil works and related installations will involve other consortium partners, including D’Agostino Costruzioni Generali for the Partanna station and Orascom Construction for the Mlaabi station.
Elmed is expected to strengthen energy security, support electricity market integration and improve interoperability between Euro-Mediterranean power systems. The project also supports wider energy transition goals by enabling greater integration of renewable energy and strengthening cross-border transmission infrastructure.
The total investment in the interconnection is $1.61 B (€1.42 B). Of this, $348 M (€307 M) has been allocated by the European Commission through the Connecting Europe Facility. The Tunisian side is also supported by institutions including the World Bank, the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and KfW.
Source: Hitachi Energy
