Europe and North Africa are getting their first undersea power link

Italy and Tunisia have initiated the construction of the first direct current (DC) undersea power link connecting Europe and North Africa. This project, named ELMED, aims to enhance energy security and facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources between the two continents. The link will have a capacity of 600 megawatts (MW) and a length of approximately 200 kilometers, with a significant portion running undersea. The project is a collaboration between Terna, the Italian transmission grid operator, and STEG, its Tunisian counterpart. Funding for the project includes a €307 million grant from the European Union's Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). Construction began in late 2023, with an expected operational start date in 2027. The ELMED project is designed to improve the stability of the electricity grids in both countries and support the European Union's goal of increasing interconnections to at least 15% of installed renewable energy capacity by 2030. It will also enable the transmission of electricity generated from renewable sources in Tunisia to Italy and the wider European grid.