NextGeo Awarded Terna Tender for Preliminary Marine Survey and Environmental Characterization of the New HVDC Milan–Montalto Link

10 April 2026

A NextGeo ROV. (Image credit: NextGeo)

Next Geosolutions (NextGeo), one of the leading international players in marine geoscience and offshore construction support services for the energy sector and listed on Euronext Growth Milan market, has been awarded—as lead partner of a Temporary Consortium (RTC) – a tender by Terna S.p.A. (Ternaa) for “preliminary marine survey and environmental characterization” services related to the new HVDC Milan–Montalto connection. The RTC is composed of NextGeo, acting as lead partner with an approximately 84% stake, together with CONISMA (National Inter-University Consortium for Marine Sciences), Poliservizi Srl, and CIBM (Inter-University Center for Marine Biology and Applied Ecology “G. Bacci” of Livorno). The project, which will connect Lazio and Lombardy through a marine route of approximately 280 kilometers, is part of Terna’s innovative Hypergrid initiative, aimed at increasing energy flows between Central-Southern Italy and Northern regions.

The award follows the tender procedure launched on May 28, 2025, with publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (S 102/2025 – 345476). At the end of the process, following technical and economic evaluation and a subsequent negotiation phase, the consortium led by NextGeo achieved the highest overall score, ranking first and securing the maximum contract value, exceeding € 28 million.

The project activities will include preliminary marine surveys and environmental characterization along the route of the new high-voltage direct current (HVDC) electrical link connecting southern Milan to Montalto di Castro. The objective is to perform high-precision surveys of cable corridors in order to gather detailed information on seabed morphology, shallow stratigraphy, sediment characteristics, as well as the distribution and status of phyto-zoobenthic communities in both nearshore and offshore areas. The submarine cable section will run from Montalto di Castro (Viterbo) to the area near Avenza (Massa-Carrara). The operational phase is expected to commence in the second half of 2026 and will involve the use of multiple survey vessels.