Ministry of the Interior and Terna sign the first agreement for the Italian electricity system's saf

Online, October 6, 2009 (Newswire.com) - "Notizie tra le linee" is an Italian webzine by the energy company Terna providing news related to the world of energy, from environment to ecology. Being constantly in touch with Terna CEO Flavio Cattaneo, the magazine keep its readers updated with fresh news from the world of economy as well.

"Notizie tra le linee" also put its focus on a joint agreement between the Ministry of the Interior and Terna for an integrated project involving 500 sites and over 58,000 km of electricity lines.

The Minister of the Interior, Roberto Maroni and Terna's CEO, Flavio Cattaneo, signed an important Memorandum of Understanding today for the National Electricity Transmission Grid's safety (NTG). The ceremony was attended by the General of the Armed Forces Leonardo Gallitelli, General Commander of Arma dei Carabinieri, by Prefect Giuseppe Procaccini, the Minister's Chief of Staff, by Prefect Antonio Manganelli, Chief of the Police Department and General Director of Public Security Services, by Mara Carluccio, Counselor to the Minister, by Isabella Votino, the Minister's spokeswoman, by Giacomo Ciriello, Chief of the Minister's secretariat office, by Giuseppe Lasco, Terna's Safety Director and by Giovanni Buttitta, Terna's External Relations and Communication Director. "A great result", commented the Minister and Terna's CEO expressed his satisfaction.

The Memorandum marks the beginning of a collaboration project between the Ministry of the Interior and Terna for protecting one of the country's major strategic infrastructures, the National Electricity Transmission Grid.

"This is undoubtedly a great result, - underlined Minister Roberto Maroni. An important step that once again stresses the Government's commitment for guaranteeing the necessary synergy among essential parties of the Country's social interactions: on one hand Terna''s technology and on the other the know how of the Police Forces, together with the objective of increasing the national electricity grid's safety, quality and efficiency."

"We are very pleased with this agreement - commented Flavio Cattaneo. Ensuring the national transmission grid's greater safety is one of our top priorities. Each year Terna invests approximately 150 million euros for the safety of the electricity transmission systems and this Memorandum marks a further step towards the innovation and modernization of protection systems; as of today these systems can rely on the collaboration of the Ministry of the Interior and on the know-how of Arma dei Carabinieri, State Police and Postal Police."

This is the first agreement that the Ministry signs with a private company, in this way implementing ahead of time the future EU regulations and placing Italy in the forefront for the protection of the country's strategic sectors. In particular, the Memorandum aims at the following: preventing and countering the attempts of illegal access to Terna''s computer and telecommunications systems particularly referred to those supporting electricity transmission and dispatching activities in Italy; ensuring the physical protection of the National Electricity Transmission Grid's sensitive infrastructures.

On the basis of this agreement, the Ministry of the Interior and Terna are committed therefore to developing a collaboration project aimed at preventing and countering attacks or damage against TERNA''s critical computer infrastructures. The Ministry of the Interior and Terna "will identify those computer and telematics systems to be constantly monitored for a more effective protection from unwanted intrusion, also thanks to high-tech devices and to intelligence and analysis activity carried out by the CNAIPIC (National Anti Computer Center for the protection of critical infrastructures), the centralized police structure aimed at countering web hacking against critical infrastructures".

The agreement establishes to increase the physical protection levels of substations, through targeted procedures and the innovative computer tools of Terna's SOC (security operation center), constantly connected with the police forces present throughout the territory; for this reason, the Ministry of the Interior and Terna will implement a protection system for the Company's critical sites through the territorial structures of Arma dei Carabinieri, of the State Police and of the Postal Police. The initiatives adopted will be monitored every year to verify their effectiveness and establish the adoption of possible measures at the central or territorial level.