The 1,000 MW subsea power link project between Italy and Montenegro has been pushed back into 2019 and its capacity will be halved to 500 MW, due to a slower then expected pace of construction of renewable projects in the Balkans. The power transmission cable will run from Pescara (near Villanova in Italy) to Rta Jaz (Montenegro), involving the construction of a substation in Lastva (Montenegro), as well as a Lastva-Cevo-Pljevlja 400-kV overhead line by Montenegro's state-run power transmission system operator Crnogorski Elektroprenosni Sistem.
The high-voltage direct current (HVDC) project worth €1bn was unveiled in 2010, when the Montenegro grid operator CGES and the Italian power grid company Terna agreed on an initial commissioning date in 2018. The 415-km long power interconnector is meant to enable exports of renewable energy from the Balkans to Italy and boost regional energy security.