The government gives the green light to the new electricity interconnection between Italy and Tunisia: a 600 MW direct current submarine power bridge that will connect Europe and Africa. An investment of about 850 million euros is foreseen for the project. Of these, 307 million euros will be financed through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), which is the EU fund for the development of key projects aimed at strengthening the EU's energy infrastructure. This is a historic step because for the CEF as, for the first time, Community funds were allocated to an infrastructure project developed by a Member State and a third country. Further evidence of its strategic importance is the fact that the European Commission has allocated more than half of the budget available in the 2022 call for proposals to the project. The work, which was carried out by the Italian Terna and by STEG, the Tunisian electricity operator, will contribute to the integration of electricity markets, to the security of energy supply and to the increase in the production of energy from renewable sources in Europe and Africa. Once it is operational, the connection will help to reduce climate-altering emissions.
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