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Alstom will supply converter stations to Italy-France interconnector

TERNA, the Italian electricity transmission system operator, and Réseau de Transport d'Électricité (RTE), its French counterpart, have awarded Altsom a €300m contract to build two High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) converter stations for the 1,200 MW Savoy-Piedmont interconnector between France and Italy. Alstom will design, manufacture and commission two converter stations (2x600 MW, +/- 320 kV). Alternating Current (AC) will be converted from each country’s electrical network into Direct Current (DC) for transmission and vice versa.

In 2013, both TSOs started laying a 190 km-long underground 2x600 MW HVDC line between Grande-Ile and Piossasco (Italy) through the Frejus tunnel to increase the import capacity with France. The project is due for commissioning in late 2019 and is estimated at €1.4bn.

In end of August 2015, TERNA and RTE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to intensify technical cooperation.