Tomorrow, the Energy and Public Utility Services Town Advisor of Sicily’s Regional Authorities, Pier Carmelo Russo and Luigi Roth, Terna’s Chairman, the company responsible for developing the national electricity transmission grid, will sign the first important agreement on the "feasibility area" for the new 380 kV Paternò – Pantano – Priolo power line connecting the provinces of Catania and Siracusa. This "area" represents the portion of territory inside of which the route for the new electricity line was identified; it also represents a choice that was shared together with the Regional Authorities and the local bodies involved by the building of the new infrastructure. With tomorrow’s agreement, it will shortly be possible to initiate authorization procedures for the project that will hopefully be completed soon.
The project, for which Terna has planned investments for 183 million euros, in line with the Development Plan, accounts for nearly 20% of the total investments scheduled by Terna in Sicily which amount to nearly 1 billion euros out of 7 billion allocated nationally. The new power line will be 63 Km long; approximately 20 km of overhead connections to the existing grid are to be added to these as well as approximately 31 km in buried cables, crossing the territory of 2 Provinces, 9 Municipalities and of the Simeto Oasis. Moreover, the project also includes building a new electricity sub-station in Pantano.


The area will benefit from the following advantages:

 

• Reducing grid losses for 30 GWh/year, for a total saving of 4 million euros a year 
• Increasing energy availability from the new power plants being built in the area
• Increasing the service safety in the areas of Catania and Siracusa
• Increasing the available power in the Priolo area by eliminating operating restrictions in the plants.

There will also be significant environmental advantages: the new power line will allow removing 155 km of obsolete electricity lines (more than 15 km of which in the Sites of Community Importance present in the area), consequently freeing 300 hectares of territory, equal to 750 soccer fields, and recovering materials (steel, aluminum, glass, concrete) for over 6000 tons. The Municipalities and Provinces will receive 8,5 million euros for implementing the environmental compensation works that will be proposed and carried out by the local bodies themselves.

"The agreement, stated advisor Russo – represents a significant phase of the process for improving and strengthening the electricity grid in Sicily which will soon be standardized compared to the rest of the country. The modalities that lead to defining the project represent an important example of coordination with the population involved while also guaranteeing the best environmental sustainability. Moreover, there will be other significant advantages in terms of grid efficiency and compensation for the local bodies for environmental protection project."

"By signing this Memorandum of Understanding – commented Terna’s Chairman Luigi Roth – a new, important step was taken in coordinating activity that both Terna and Sicily’s Regional Authorities are carrying out since 2004 with mutual significant commitment. In Sicily we have planned major investments with the objective of increasing the electricity service’s safety, efficiency and reliability being one of Southern Italy’s strategic regions. Environmental awareness and infrastructural development must go hand in hand if we wish to combine electricity needs, urban development and environmental protection."

Rome, July 7, 2010