The Underground Compact Substation is an innovation in electricity infrastructure with climate adaptation in mind, and is resistant to extreme weather events, such as floods and heatwaves, to ensure service continuity in the harshest conditions, Italian utility A2A says.

The medium-to-low voltage substation is compact and installed underground to make it a replicable model for "space-constrained" urban areas, where it is increasingly difficult to find suitable spaces for the installation of new transformer substations, the company adds.

A2A developed the substation in partnership with publicly traded Schneider Electric and Unareti, an A2A-owned network services company that distributes electricity and gas.

It was initiated by A2A's 'Open Innovation' programme, which chose the winning design from 12 proposals from 23 countries. The prototype version was inaugurated at the Unareti Smart Lab, in Milan in 2023, in collaboration with Schneider Electric.

Sustainable Company Awards judges praised the product's potential to contribute to climate adaptation.