Terna, the company that manages the Italian national electricity transmission grid, and STEG, the Tunisian electricity and gas grid operator, have awarded a EUR770m contract to Hitachi Energy for the construction of the converter stations for the Elmed project, the first electricity HVDC interconnection between Italy and Tunisia (Hitachi press release, 24/06/2026). It marks the completion of the procurement process for the project which started in 2023 with the publication of the tender for the design, supply, and construction of the converter stations for the interconnection.
The two infrastructures now awarded will be built respectively in Italy in Partanna, in the province of Trapani (Sicily), and in Mlaabi, in the Menel Temime area, in Tunisia. The link, powered by advanced HVDC technology, will have a capacity of 600 MW and will extend for about 220 km, mostly via submarine cable, reaching a maximum depth of about 800 meters in the Strait of Sicily. Other companies in the consortium, including D’Agostino Costruzioni Generali for the Partanna station and Orascom Construction for the Mlaabi station, will mainly carry out civil works as well as electromechanical installations and auxiliary systems.