A consortium led by Next Geosolutions has secured a contract exceeding €28 million ($30 million) to provide marine survey and environmental characterisation services for the HVDC Milan–Montalto link.
Italian transmission system operator Terna awarded the tender for the project which will connect Lazio and Lombardy through a marine route of approximately 280 kilometres.
The initiative belongs to the "Hypergrid" programme intended to facilitate energy flows between central-southern and northern regions of Italy. Next Geosolutions holds an 84 per cent stake in the partnership which includes CONISMA, Poliservizi, and CIBM.
The award followed a procurement process initiated on May 28, 2025, involving technical and economic evaluations. Negotiated terms led to the consortium achieving the highest overall score to secure the maximum contract value.
Next Geosolutions said the contract's objective is to, "perform high-precision surveys of cable corridors in order to gather detailed information on seabed morphology," while also assessing phyto-zoobenthic communities.
The submarine cable section will extend from Montalto di Castro to the area near Avenza. Operational work is expected to commence in the second half of 2026, according to the company.
Multiple survey vessels will be utilised to conduct the environmental and stratigraphic assessments along the route.
