We have great news on our Italian renewable energy pipeline!
Our renewable energy journey began in Italy in Q2 of 2021. We are now excited to share that we have progressed on 17 projects in the country, with a total of 438 MW. We also have an additional 427 MW (related to a further 12 projects) to be developed over the next year.
The Projects
In Italy we have a range of different portfolios secured with a good level of risk diversification.
The ITALY RENEWABLE ENERGY portfolios are:
– Northern: with a focus on Emilia Romagna
– Central: with a single site in Sardinia and a single site in Lazio
– Southern: with two big projects in Apulia and further projects in Sicily
The biggest concentration of sites, with an excess of 147 MW DC, are four projects located in the Province of Ferrara, in Emilia Romagna. The biggest project is Codigoro, totalling 75 MW DC of East-West technology. The smallest site is Cobu, located in the centre of Ferrara on land with an industrial destination, totalling a 9 MW DC tracker capacity.
Still in the North, next to Ravenna, we have a site to be developed on an artificial lake using floating technology, totalling 31 MW. The EIA was submitted in Q4 21 for this project and we expect the site to be RTB in Q1 23.
The project in Sardinia has just finalised the EIA deposit and should be RTB within Q2 2023. The site is 17.5 MW DC with Agrivoltaic technology and reaches a very interesting energy yield due to the exceptionally favourable weather conditions in the area.
The project in Lazio is in the process to deposit the EIA and sits in a perfect rectangular shape, capable of accommodating 24.5 MW DC.
The remaining projects are located in the South. Two in Apulia, in the province of Foggia, totalling a DC capacity of 139 MW to be authorised and built with the concept of the Agrivoltaic. The solution adopted by the engineering firm is unique and protected by IP, in cooperation with the University of Palermo.
In Sicily, amongst two small sites on agricultural land, with a total capacity of 7 MW and 10 MW, we have four sites of 10 MW each – all with industrial destination of use.
The last two are being developed on a very large rooftop. This is possibly the biggest rooftop development in the Province of Catania with a strong structure and a peculiarity that consists of a source of natural water under the ground. We hope to have further updates on this development this summer when we will be able to announce the location of the project and open options for investment.
Italy & Renewable Energy
Italy is a unique place for us to explore renewable energy development. The country is committed to their transition to a low-emission economy and its goal is to reach a compelling 30 GW new solar installation within 2030.
The country currently has one of the highest numbers of solar MW installed, reaching in excess of 20 GW. Most of the country’s PV installations were built during the first wave of subsidies more than 10 years ago and since 2020 Italy has experienced a high demand of RTB assets, positioning the Country as one of the most desirable for investors.
At present, Italy is functioning with around 35% of its energy generated from gas, with further energy generation coming from wind (11%), solar (18%) and hydro (20%). Coal is still at 11% and with current world events the Government is working on a contingency plan to use a coal generator which is no longer functioning. This accelerates the deployment of renewables and offers a very good opportunity for Hive to help fulfil the zero-emissions initiatives in the country with solar and green hydrogen production, supporting the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
The Future
On top of the projects mentioned, we are growing our Italian pipeline. We have recently signed a joint venture to partner with Renovo in the Mantua “Green Hydrogen Valley”. This is a very compelling project with 10 MW electrolyser, with big players involved such as Sapio and the Province of Mantua. This large-scale project will create one of the first Hydrogen Valleys in Italy, focusing also on the proximity to the Port. Hive, alongside Renovo, will act as Partner providing clean energy from sites positioned in the proximity of the Electrolyzer. We will have further updates on this project later in the year too.
If you’re interested in learning more about our solar and green hydrogen pipeline in Italy please contact Country Manager, Stefano Salerno, using the button below.
