New High Voltage Interconnections with Islands in the Mediterranean Sea: Malta and Sicily. Analysis of the Effects on Renewable Energy Sources Integration and Benefits for the Electricity Market

Abstract

The present paper shows the benefits coming from the operation of the recent electrical high voltage (HV) interconnections between Sicily, Malta and mainland Italy. These new interconnections allow zonal prices of electricity considerably lower than in the past, ensuring greater flexibility to the system and a better integration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES). After briefly illustrating the two high-voltage electrical systems (Sicily and Malta), and having provided a description of the interconnection cable with Malta and its protection devices, the authors hypothesized two modes of operation (Sicily-Malta system islanded or interconnected to the rest of Europe). For the first case (islanded) some simulations are performed through the use of an electric network model realized in the Neplan ® environment, and for the second case an analysis of one year real data was made. The results of the simulation, thanks to the use of a power flow tracing method, show that this new interconnection between the two islands (Sicily and Malta) allows an important improvement in the integration and dispatching of the power generated by RES of the Sicilian territory, better operation of traditional Sicilian generation units, lower electricity zonal prices and a significant reduction in emissions from obsolete fuel oil thermal units located in Malta.

New Energy Corridors in the Euro-Mediterranean Area: The Pivotal Role of Sicily

“…The new HVDC connection of North Africa with Tunisia will allow the dispatching of energy from Europe to the North African continent, instead, through the new connection with the island of Malta (second scenario, 2025), Sicily will export power towards this, with a maximum limit of 400 MW. All data concerning the consumption of electricity, the diffusion of renewable sources, and the production from traditional units must be subject to a reliable forecast for a near future scenario [25]. For the studies concerning the RES impacts on the Sicilian electrical system, authors used data correctly evaluated by the statistical office of the transmission system operator through some probabilistic analysis.…”

“…As demonstrated in [25] these new interconnections allow an important improvement in the integration and dispatching of the power generated by RES of the Sicilian territory, a better operation of traditional Sicilian generation units, a lower electricity zonal prices and a significant reduction in emissions from obsolete fuel oil thermal units located in Malta.…”

“…The first part consists of an underground cable that extends for 19 km, reaching Marina di Ragusa (RG), where the submarine cable runs for a length of about 98 km. The Maltese end of the line reaches the 220 kV/133 kV Maghtab station [25]. In the near future another HVAC submarine cable is also being planned between Sicily and Malta, thus creating a double interconnection circuit.…”

“…Table 1 shows the main data of the new connections [27]. [25]. In the near future another HVAC submarine cable is also being planned between Sicily and Malta, thus creating a double interconnection circuit.…”

HTLS Conductors: A Way to Optimize RES Generation and to Improve the Competitiveness of the Electrical Market—A Case Study in Sicily

“…Afterwards, thanks to POI Energia investments, a real case study of reconductoring is analysed checking the bene ts in terms of transport capacity, increasing the N-1 security criterion, electricity market bene ts, etc. Since reconductoring has a ected many 150 kV lines on which wind farms are connected, an analysis of the zonal price of electricity in Sicily in last years will be carried out to demonstrate how this structural intervention, together with others [8], has allowed better integration of RES and therefore a decrease in zonal prices and in HHI index (Her ndahl-Hirschman index).…”