TERNA PRESENTS NEWS PLANS FOR THE CONNECTION OF THE - RAIL LINE TO THE ELECTRICITY GRID On 17 and 18 March the first "Terna Meets” events will be held with the citizens of the relevant municipalities The connection is part of operations towards building a double-track railway

Rome, 10 March 2021. The two “Terna Meets” digital events dedicated to the local communities will take place on 17 and 18 March, with the aim of explaining the plans to connect the Catania – Palermo rail line to the National Transmission Grid. The Terna project was born as the answer to the needs of RFI, the Italian rail network operator, who intend to upgrade the longest railway in , the Catania-Palermo line, to a double-track line. Terna will construct two new electricity connections: one between the Sferro electrical substation (in Paternò) and a new electrical substation to be built in the area; and a second connection between the new substation and the primary station of . The project will involve 7 municipalities among the provinces of Catania and : , Paternò, and (); , Assoro and Regalbuto (). To ensure the best possible participation in the events, which will be held via a digital platform in order to satisfy safety and protection measures in place due to the current pandemic, Terna has organised the delivery of a large number of informative leaflets and the distribution of posters aimed at the relevant citizens. During the two events, technicians from Terna will present the results of their analyses and suggested sites for the planned works. Specifically, Terna will demonstrate the criteria used to assess the compatibility of the new electrical infrastructure with the surrounding area and to define the environmental corridors and the feasibility bands of the proposed solutions. All the information needed to participate in the web meetings as well as the project documentation is available on the Terna website: www.terna.it.