Tunisia-Italy Electricity Integration and Renewable Energy Ecosystem

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The Elmed Interconnector is a planned 500 KV/600 MW sub-sea high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) cable with a length of 200 km at amax depth of 750m connecting the existing electrical substation in Partanna (Sicily) on the Italian side and a newly builtsubstation in Menzel Temime (Mlaaba, Cap Bon Peninsula) on the Tunisian side. Besides the undersea cable routes and the converterstations, the Italy-Tunisia interconnection comprises also the onshore underground cables of 22-44 km connecting the marine polewith each of the two converter stations, and the two electrode lines to connect the electrodes laid in the seabed. While no othernetwork reinforcements or developments on either side of the sea are part of the PCI scope, on the Tunisian side a new 400kVoverhead transmission line (OHTL) needs to be built to connect the interconnector to the Tunisian grid. The interconnector has anestimated cost of €920 million including the 400kV OHTL and a target financial close of 2023, with a planned operational date of2028. In addition to the interconnector, the project also includes small investments and technical assistance to support theintegration of variable renewable energy (VRE) in the Tunisian electricity system and promote VRE projects in Tunisia.