TERNA PRESENTS ITS ITALIAN ELECTRICITY GRID DEVELOPMENT PLAN TO THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL

 There will be no 380 kV power line, rather a rationalisation of the current grids which will bring numerous environmental and economic benefits to the territory

 € 130 million in investments to modernise the grid in Belluno and make it more efficient and ready to meet future challenges

Rome, 18 April 2018 – As part of an open dialogue which integrates the requirements of the electricity system with those of the populations affected by the new infrastructures, Terna met with representatives from the Belluno Provincial Council today to set out the Italian electricity transmission grid Development Plan which will affect the area of Belluno.

Terna explained how in the 2018 Development Plan, the official planning document, there is no further mention of a 380 kV interconnection between and Austria, between the 380 kV Sandrigo - Udine Ovest route and the node in Lienz in Austria, and how the 220 kV power line between and Lienz will be rebuilt, considering its current age and level of reliability, with the aim of increasing its resilience. Furthermore, its reconstruction will allow for advantageous rationalisation works on the existing grid in the affected areas to take place, with the aim of optimising the grid’s requirements and protecting the environment.

Terna then presented two of the main projects which currently affect the Province, the “Rationalisation of the electricity grid in the Middle Piave Valley” and the “Rationalisation of the electricity grid in Alto Bellunese”. These works foresee an investment of € 130 million and aim to modernise the electricity grid in the Province and make it more efficient and secure, in order to meet the challenges of the future, such as the 2021 Ski World Cup and numerous other projects linked to electric mobility. Terna made note of the fact that both works have been studied to allow the two voltage systems (132 kV and 220 kV) - which now pass through the Province without an interconnection between them - to interact with one another, with no detriment to the quality and security of the electricity service. In the Middle Piave Valley, the expansion of the current electrical substation in Polpet with a new 220 kV section to which the 220 kV line from Lienz – Soverzene – Scorzè and the Soverzene power station will be connected, will allow us to fully exploit the hydroelectric production in Alto Bellunese and overcome the current transport capacity limits of the current lines. Furthermore, the restructuring of the current grid connected to the substation will reduce the impact of the infrastructure on the area. This is thanks to the relocation of current power lines away from populations, or thanks to their relocation underground. These measures will reduce the number of

pylons in the area by 111, result in -20 km of power lines and the recovery of 59 hectares of land which is currently covered by electricity lines. In Alto Bellunese, an area with a low level of interconnections and mutual reserves (meshing) and therefore at a high risk of black outs, a solution has been identified: the installation of an underground 132 kV cable, 25 km long, which will connect the municipalities of Auronzo and Cortina d’Ampezzo, and a small 132/220 kV electrical substation (1.5 hectares) in the Cima Gogna industrial area. The work, which is still in the consultation phase, will be authorised by spring 2018.

Both projects are the outcome of a long dialogue between Terna and the territories, as part of trying to share as much as it can about its projects. “Rationalisation in the Middle Piave Valley” has been the subject of precautionary consultation for four years, with dozens of meetings and surveys taking place, which have resulted in the signing of two memoranda of understanding with the municipal administrations involved, one on 31 March 2009 (between Terna and the , the Municipalities of Belluno, Soverzene and ) and one on 21 July 2010 (between Terna and the Province of Belluno and the Municipalities of , , Ospitale and ).

“Rationalisation of the electricity grid in Alto Bellunese” on the other hand, has seen a new approach to dialogue with the territory, holding the “Terna Meets...” Open Days since 2016, for participatory planning of the project. For the first time, Terna has also involved the local population right from the project pre-authorisation stage, discussing the project methods directly with residents.