An investment plan of over half a billion euros for the construction of seven agri-photovoltaic plants in Sicily and one photovoltaic plant in the territories of the provinces of Palermo, Trapani, Catania and Enna. At the end of the construction of the seven plants planned on the island, a total capacity of approximately 570 MW is expected.
The project
This is the program launched by the German company Aquila Clean Energy, a company that already manages a portfolio with a total capacity of around 12 Gw in Europe. Aquila Clean Energy is a division of the Aquila Capital group, based in Hamburg and which recently also opened offices in Milan and Singapore. Founded in 2001, Aquila Capital currently manages almost 14 billion euros on behalf of institutional investors worldwide: it has about 650 employees and 16 offices in 15 countries around the world and today manages wind, solar photovoltaic and hydroelectric energy with a capacity exceeding 17 Gw. The goal, the company explains, is to reach an installed renewable power portfolio of 25 Gw by 2025.
«Sicily, for us, represents a strategic territory not only at a national level, but also at a European level – says Alberto Arcioli, development manager for Aquila Clean Energy in Italy -. The geographical position of the island allows for double net production, for the same installed power, compared, for example, to the United Kingdom. Furthermore, our projects integrate perfectly with the territory without subtracting soil from agriculture, which is widely exploited thanks to the collaboration with expert agronomists who identify the plants and typical features that best adapt to the environment for each energy plant».
The first plants
Of the seven projects submitted by Aquila Clean Energy in Sicily, two are at a very advanced stage and the company expects construction to begin this year. «From this point of view – continues Arcioli – we have positively registered the approach of the new regional government, which focuses heavily on energy issues and on the simplification of administrative processes. We hope that this too will contribute, in the future, to transforming Sicily into an energy hub».
For the development of the projects in Sicily, the German company collaborated with local developers, «drawing on their many years of experience in the construction of sustainable infrastructures – the company explains -. In the places where we choose to invest to achieve the decarbonisation goal, we aim to start a dialogue with local institutions to harmonize projects with the needs of the area, including with ad hoc measures that can mitigate the impact of the works or non- necessarily connected to the systems, but also to enhance the positive aspects».