Further evidence of EGPs commitment to the growth of mini-hydro power in Italy and abroad, as underlined by Francesco Starace, the renewables companys Chief Executive Officer
Rome, September 7th, 2011 The first entry into service has been completed for the Sparone hydro power plant in the Province of Turin.
The plant, the first of four on the course of the River Orco, has an installed capacity of over 2 MW. The new installation completely replaces the old hydro plant built in 1923, with the same installed capacity but with improvements in its reliability and efficiency and increasing the amount of zero-emissions energy generated.
Once fully up and running, the plant will be capable of generating over 6 million kilowatt hours per year, meeting the consumption needs of more than 2,300 households and avoiding the emission into the atmosphere of some 5,000 tonnes of CO2 every year.
The Sparone plant demonstrates Enel Green Powers commitment to support the growth of mini-hydro power in Italy and abroad. No plants are too small, since we can now leverage on an organizational structure and technologies that can be tailored to every size, stated Francesco Starace, CEO and General Manager of Enel Green Power. In particular, thanks to the opportunity to rebuild the existing installations and improve their efficiency, hydro power will be able to contribute more significantly to renewable energy growth in Italy and abroad.
Enel Green Power currently boasts 2540 MW of installed hydro power in Italy and overseas, generating over 11 billion kilowatt hours per year.