ABSTRACT
The chapter provides a techno-economic analysis based on the combination of two methodologies to preliminarily evaluate the North African electricity impact on the European system and the Italian grid in a 2030 horizon. A closer assessment of the Italian power system as a potential electricity hub in the Mediterranean region is carried out, paying particular attention to the behaviour of the Italian transmission grid. The European Union (EU) energy policy road maps and initiatives entail building reinforced international partnerships and physical power interconnectors with neighbouring regions/systems, with a view at diversifying electricity resources portfolio through higher and efficient penetration of renewable energy sources (RES). The Mediterranean region has a very large potential of RES: a massive development of RES generation and related infrastructures across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and the southern European system represents a key target for the EU neighbourhood energy policy, towards the development of MENA countries.
