ENEL AND BONIFICHE FERRARESI JOIN FORCES FOR INNOVATION AND ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY IN AGRICULTURE

  • Agreement struck between the two companies will lead to the creation of the first energy independent rural district in Italy

 

  • Enel will be an Innovation Partner of Bonifiche Ferraresi to support the agricultural enterprise’s ambitious expansion programme. The many projects include electrification of agricultural processes, the use of drones, the introduction of electric vehicles, the construction of infrastructure for energy efficiency, obtaining white certificates and the launch of an accelerator for companies dedicated to agriculture to be included in Enel’s ecosystem for start-ups

 

  • The first initiatives regard the new rice mill, the university campus and new stables

Rome, June 14th, 2016 – A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed today that marks the beginning of the collaboration between Enel, a global leader in the generation, distribution and sale of electricity, and Bonifiche Ferraresi, the largest Italian farm with about 5,500 hectares of arable land.

The agreement was signed by Bonifiche Ferraresi’s CEO Federico Vecchioni and Enel’s Head of Innovation and Sustainability Ernesto Ciorra, its Head of Global Infrastructure and Networks Livio Gallo and its Head of Italy Carlo Tamburi.

The collaboration includes the development and implementation of an innovative sustainable energy system that, through the experimentation and the comprehensive integrated use of the latest energy efficiency technologies, will lead to the creation of Italy’s first energy independent rural district. The first initiatives will be concentrated in three specific sites within the Bonifiche Ferraresi facilities: the new rice mill, the university campus and the new stables.

As part of its industrial policy, Bonifiche Ferraresi, with a recent capital increase, has launched a major investment plan of over 32 million euros aimed at making the company the leading Italian agriculture player by size and one of the main players of the European agricultural market, with a vertically integrated presence along the entire agricultural value chain, from production to distribution, thanks to its own brand marketing.

The primary objective of the Bonifiche Ferraresi business plan is to make its approach to production increasingly efficient and sustainable. In this process, energy efficiency is a factor for competitiveness. To achieve these ambitious goals, Bonifiche Ferraresi has selected Enel as an Innovation Partner. The MoU is designed to purse precisely these objectives, which will be achieved thanks to the cutting-edge infrastructure provided by Enel. It will enable Bonifiche Ferraresi to:

o Acquire infrastructure for energy efficiency and the rationalisation of consumption;

o Renew agricultural machinery and service vehicles with the introduction of electric vehicles and the joint implementation of the necessary charging infrastructure;

o Explore obtaining white certificates through the introduction of renewable generation facilities (e.g. photovoltaics, biogas) and electricity storage systems.

The many projects envisaged under the partnership between Enel and Bonifiche Ferraresi include the renewal of Bonifiche Ferraresi’s agricultural machinery and service vehicles with the introduction of electric vehicles and the implementation of the Vehicle-to-Grid technology developed by Enel and other solutions (e.g. corporate car sharing, electric bikes) for electric mobility inside and outside the farm, the joint implementation of dedicated charging infrastructure, and the installation of photovoltaic systems and storage facilities to increase self-consumption and development. These initiatives will be accompanied by the bringing together of the accelerator for agricultural enterprises linked to the activities of Bonifiche Ferraresi’s university campus with Enel’s innovation ecosystems,  start-ups and important universities and research centres, from Israel to the USA, from South America to Northern Europe.

The first step of the collaboration will be the development of a preliminary project to define the initiatives’ details.

Federico Vecchioni, CEO of Bonifiche Ferraresi, said: "For Bonifiche Ferraresi, the partnership with Enel represents a strategic integration designed to optimise the production process and develop know-how."

Francesco Starace, Enel CEO, remarked: "The partnership with Bonifiche Ferraresi is testament to how innovation and sustainability can create more competition for both businesses and the country. Enel proposes cutting-edge solutions that will ensure full energy independence for the whole rural district. We are at the same time launching an accelerator for agriculture businesses that will become part of Enel’s startup ecosystem."


Ufficio stampa Bonifiche Ferraresi:

Ad Hoc Communication Advisors
Tel +39 02 7606741
Mario Pellegatta (mario.pellegatta@ahca.it)
Ivan Barbieri (+39 335.1415581; ivan.barbieri@ahca.it)
Demos Nicola ( +39 335.1415583; demos.nicola@ahca.it)

 

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