Eni starts production at solar plant in Italy

Eni, through its subsidiary Eni New Energy, operating under the new business unit Energy Evolution, has started power production from the new photovoltaic plant in Volpiano, Italy with a total capacity of 18 MW.

The project was developed inside Eni’s Fuel Depot in Volpiano and is part of the “Progetto Italia”. This scheme, launched in 2016, redevelops brownfield sites that are part of Eni’s industrial assets into renewable energy plants, creating new opportunities in the district.

The authorisation procedure, in which the town of Volpiano and the local authorities played a proactive role, ended in 2019 when the Metropolitan City of Turin granted the Single Authorisation.

The plant, built on an industrial area of approximately 32 hectares, will generate over 27 GWh, 10 per cent of which will supply energy to Eni’s site, reducing the use of electricity from the national grid by more than 50 per cent. The remaining energy will be supplied to the market, without benefiting from incentive mechanisms.

In addition, this initiative will prevent the emission of around 370,000 tonnes of CO2 over the service life of the plant, therefore contributing to the decarbonisation goals of Italy’s Integrated National Plan for Energy and Climate.

Eni’s strategy in the renewable energy sector aims at reaching a balanced and diversified global portfolio of over 3 GW of installed wind and solar power by 2023 and of 5 GW by 2025.