Key steps for the implementation of the new Greece-Italy GRITA2 electricity interconnector were discussed by executives from Greece’s IPTO (ADMIE) and Italy’s Terna during the first working meeting of the Steering and Governance Committee, held in Rome last Thursday and Friday. The collaboration between Greece and Italy, formalized by a Memorandum of Understanding signed last May in the presence of Prime Ministers Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Giorgia Meloni, is now accelerating, as evidenced by the project’s advancing maturity and upcoming developments. According to sources, the roadmap for tendering and licensing procedures was reviewed, bringing the project closer to implementation. Soon, a public tender will be launched for the preliminary seabed study, while IPTO and Terna will assign all necessary studies for environmental permits. Additionally, negotiations have begun on financial aspects, including joint procurement policies and detailed preliminary cost estimation. The project aims to strengthen existing grid connections with a new 1,000 MW high-voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine link, tripling current electricity exchange capacity. Feasibility studies are complete, and the project is included in ENTSO-E’s 10-year development plan (TYNDP 2024), and is a candidate for inclusion in the EU’s second list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI). Following these steps, technical specifications and commercial requirements will be drafted to launch major tenders for converter stations and cable supply. This phase will finalize cable and station designs, routing and protection studies (undersea and onshore), and necessary civil engineering works. Finalizing technical details and completing tenders will lead to construction—building converter stations in both countries and laying HVDC cables. The first official SGC meeting established next steps based on the timeline agreed upon in the MoU signed by IPTO and Terna last May.
Greece-Italy Electricity Interconnection: Countdown to Seabed Survey Tender
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