Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for assessing the sustainability of high-voltage electrical infrastructure. Application to the 150kV double-circuit overhead link of the Canino-Arlena power line to the Tuscania Power Station

(LCA) methodology for assessing the environmental sustainability of high-voltage electrical infrastructure. In particular, this methodology was applied to the existing 150 kV double-circuit overhead link of the Canino–Arlena power line to the Tuscania Power Station. Following a careful comparative analysis of commercially available software, SimaPro (version 10.1.0.6) was chosen to model the system, using data extracted from the Ecoinvent database. To assess environmental impacts, in line with the categories of interest to Terna Rete Italia, the IMPACT 2002+ method was chosen, which allows for a clear and comprehensive understanding of the impacts on human health, ecosystems, and resources. The entire life cycle of the power line and its components was studied, defining system boundaries that included the phases of Production,

Installation, Operation, Decommissioning, End-of-life, Construction phase and Transportation.

In particular, it emerged that network losses, inherent to the operation phase, represent the dominant contribution to the overall environmental impact of the power line. This is due to the fact that the impacts related to electricity production (according to the Italian energy mix) required to offset energy losses were considered. Excluding the latter, the production phase was found to be dominant in all impact categories due to the impacts related to both the raw material extraction processes and the production and processing of galvanized steel for the supports and aluminium for the conductors. The end‑of‑life stage highlighted the essential role of recycling processes, which were shown to generate significant compensatory effects (up to a 50% reduction in overall impact in categories such as Global Warming and Mineral Extraction), thus confirming the importance of integrating circular‑economy strategies into the design of electrical infrastructure. The study highlighted the most critical environmental aspects of the project's life cycle and highlighted some of the elements that can contribute to reducing its environmental impact, such as recycling of materials used, management of biomass generated by maintenance of the areas surrounding the power line, and the use of increasingly advanced technologies to increase energy transmission efficiency and reduce losses.