- Enel Green Power has achieved two records: the Tarquinia plant will also be the largest Italian solar power plant and is expected to bring environmental, economic and social benefits both nationally and locally
- The company is paving a virtuous path that is in harmony with the local area and local agricultural businesses
Rome, March 23rd, 2023 - Enel Green Power has kicked off construction of a photovoltaic power plant with a capacity of around 170 MW, which will be its largest solar plant in Italy as well as the country’s biggest agrivoltaic plant, fully integrated with the agricultural sector in the area, namely Tarquinia, in the province of Viterbo, Latium. In addition to marking a major step forward due to the size and production capacity of the plant – which, once fully operational, is expected to generate around 280 GWh per year on average – the start of construction also marks the beginning of a project which, once complete, will allow the company to avoid the annual emission of around 130,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere as well as saving approximately 26 million cubic meters of gas per year: this fossil fuel will be fully replaced by locally produced renewable energy that can meet the energy needs of roughly 111,000 households in a sustainable way.
The value of the project lies not only in the production capacity from renewable sources, but also in its innovation and local approach: in fact, the plant will leverage on bifacial photovoltaic modules – with technology enabling solar energy to be absorbed on both the front and rear surfaces – which will be mounted on “trackers”, i.e. sun-tracking structures, in order to maximize the production of renewable energy, making it even more efficient. This agrivoltaic solar farm will be built in an area owned by a local company that will be working with Enel Green Power on integrating agricultural activities at the plant. Specifically, fodder and borage will be grown in vacant areas between the rows of solar panels and in the buffer zones of overhead power lines, while olive trees will be planted around the perimeter.
Salvatore Bernabei, CEO of Enel Green Power, said: “The solar plant we are building in Tarquinia shows that an increase in the use of renewable energy can be harmoniously combined with agricultural activities. In fact, this plant will seamlessly integrate with the local area and will host crops, resulting in a positive impact on the environment, the economy and the local area, as well as helping to reduce Italy’s energy dependency.”
The construction of this new plant reaffirms Enel Green Power’s commitment to the energy transition in the North of Latium, as well as its primary focus on ensuring it has a positive impact on the local economy and communities. The companies involved in the construction of the plant are from Latium, most of them based in the province of Viterbo, and up to around 330 people will be employed over an estimated construction period of 13 months.
As part of a broader commitment by the Enel Group to promote a new type of sustainable development in the local area in order to support the energy transition, the solar plant in Tarquinia fits into a strategy that prioritizes upgrading existing facilities and building new renewable energy plants.
Enel Green Power®, within the Enel Group, develops and operates renewable energy plants worldwide and is present in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania. A world leader in clean energy, with a total capacity of more than 59 GW and a generation mix that includes wind, solar, geothermal, and hydroelectric power, as well as energy storage facilities, Enel Green Power is at the forefront of integrating innovative technologies into renewable energy plants.