Challenges and opportunities for multi-purpose interconnectors and wind offshore generation

The recent advancements in floating technologies and dynamic cables have determined a huge increase of offshore wind power plants (OWPPs) connection requests also in the deep seabed of the Mediterranean Sea. In the Italian context, all the provided connection solutions for OWPPs currently includes the direct interconnection of the wind farm to a robust Extra-High Voltage (EHV) onshore node. In a future decarbonized context, the “multi-purpose” interconnectors (MPIs) are an interesting solution for a flexible and secure interconnected power system, representing a new coordinated, synergistic and efficient solution to increase the cross-border transfer capacity while fulfilling the integration of large cluster of OWPPs, becoming an offshore connection hub for green energy. In this paper, the perspectives of multi-purpose interconnectors within the Italian power system are addressed focusing on the HVDC technology enabling to transfer relevant power over very long distances in the submarine configuration, considering real clusters of OWPPs.