Italian cable manufacturer Prysmian has been awarded a contract worth up to €460 million to design and install a subsea power cable connecting Italy and Tunisia. The deal, announced on September 26, 2025, was granted under a joint tender by Italy’s grid operator Terna and Tunisia’s STEG as part of the Elmed interconnection project, as reported by Reuters.
The contract includes a preliminary activation phase and remains conditional, with Prysmian noting that the total value will reach about €460 million once final requirements are satisfied. The project will deliver a high-voltage submarine cable system linking the Partanna substation in Sicily to the Mlaabi substation on Tunisia’s Cap Bon peninsula, traversing depths of up to 800 metres in the Strait of Sicily.
Prysmian will oversee the design, manufacture, and installation of the interconnector, which is expected to strengthen cross-border power trade and improve energy security between Europe and North Africa. The initiative is also seen as critical to integrating renewable energy flows across the Mediterranean.
“The interconnector will benefit both countries and support the global shift toward cleaner energy,” said Raul Gil, Prysmian’s Executive Vice President for the Transmission business unit, in the company’s statement.
The Elmed project reflects growing European investment in cross-border energy links to diversify supply and accelerate decarbonisation. Prysmian’s award adds to its expanding portfolio of large-scale transmission contracts, with final contract values and timelines to be confirmed once the project’s conditions are met.
