Alpe Adria Energia

Project description

The project concerns a 220 kV A.C. underground cable between Italy and Austria. It is 51 Km in length and has about 300 MW of nominal capacity, with a Phase Shift Transformer (PST) located in Austria.

The project is being developed within the framework of European Regulation 943/2019 which enables private enterprises to build new electrical interconnection lines and to use the new capacity in order to enhance the competitiveness of the European energy markets and to increase cross-border capacity among Member Countries.

In energy terms, this interconnection will make it possible to increase grid transfer capacity by 300 MW. This will have a positive impact both on electricity generation from renewable sources and on the competitiveness of the European energy markets. The cost of the investment will be borne by the project promoter and there will be no additional costs for end users. Once it enters into service, the line will become part of the national transmission grids and will help bring about market integration.

In Italy, the project concluded the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in March 2021 and obtained the construction and operation permit for the line in March 2022 from the Ministry of Ecological Transition.

In Austria, the project obtained all the Environmental permits and, in August 2022, construction authorization for the line from the state of Carinthia.

In 2019 Alpe Adria Energia submitted the Exemption request under Reg. EU/943/2019 to the national regulatory authorities (NRAs) both in Italy and Austria, receiving a positive Joint Opinion issued by the NRAs in February 2021. Alpe Adria Energia is currently waiting for the Exemption Decision by the European Commission in order to conclude the authorization processes in Austria.

The project was included in first four preceding Project of Common Interest (PCI) lists prepared by the European Commission within the framework of TEN-E Regulation and deemed necessary, in order to reach the objectives of the European energy strategy.

The project is currently included in the TYNDP 2022 and is a candidate for the 6^th PCI list (Nov ‘22 – Nov ’23) and in 2019 it received a grant of €160,081.89 under the Connecting Europe Facility “2^nd Call 2018” for studies and technical design.

Considering the project’s history and its importance in term of the benefits guaranteed to the systems, in 2020, the Somplago-Würmlach interconnection was chosen as one of the two pilot projects for the “Innovative actions to boost public awareness, trust and acceptance of electricity PCIs" communication campaign promoted by the European Union.

The main benefits of the project are:

Greater security of supply and interchange within Europe, thanks to the new transit capacity of the Alpe Adria Energia interconnection which could double the present net transfer capacity between Italy and Austria;
Improved quality, safety and reliability of the interconnected electricity systems, by reducing the risk of congestion and power surges;
Integration of renewables and accommodation of flows;
Access to energy with lower prices and increase in the use of more efficient production. This will have a positive impact on energy prices.

Additional information can be found at:

Italian authorization documents:

Currently, the line is in the permitting phase on the Austrian side.

Information on planned public consultations: a consultation for stakeholders was held in April 2018 in Italy and in September 2020 in Austria.

The approach to ethics

Alpe Adria Energia S.r.l. underlines the importance of spreading a corporate culture inspired by principles of fairness and transparency in pursuing the corporate purpose and related activities, including those of its partners. This also because Alpe Adria Energia S.r.l. pays the utmost attention to operating in conformity with the laws and the compliance principles that it has adopted. All of its partners are therefore called upon to operate with integrity in all aspects of their activities. In this regard, reference is made to the Organization, Management and Control Model ex D.Lgs. 231/2001.

Organization, Management and Control Model ex D.Lgs. 231/2001

Alpe Adria Energia S.r.l. has adopted and constantly updates and implements an Organization, Management and Control Model ex D.Lgs. 231/2001. The organization and management model adopted by Alpe Adria Energia consists of a "General Section" and single "Special Sections" regarding the different kinds of crimes and administrative infractions that must be prevented and it can be consulted in the dedicated section below. The model was recently updated by resolution of the Board of Directors of Alpe Adria Energia on March 7 2022. It takes into account the applicable regulations and the guidelines drawn up by the relevant sector associations. This is in order to guarantee the regular functioning of corporate activity, in compliance with the applicable legislation.

The Code of Ethics and Zero Tolerance of Corruption plan

Other documents of pivotal importance in the company's compliance system include the Code of Ethics and Zero Tolerance of Corruption Plan. These documents outline the commitments and ethical responsibilities in the conduct of business and corporate activities adopted by Alpe Adria Energia S.r.l.

Reports

Any violations of the principles and rules referred to in the aforementioned documents and/or any other useful information in this regard may be reported, in accordance with section 5.8 of the General Section of the organization and management model ex D.Lgs. 231/2001, through the following channels:

1) Email: fbusatta@gop.it, access to which is reserved to the Supervisory Board; or

2) Postal address: Via Duchi D’Aosta 2, 33100, Udine (UD), with the wording "reserved and confidential," to the attention of the Supervisory Body of Alpe Adria Energia.

Organizational model under Law-Decree 231/2001 - Documents:

Contact details for the project promoter