Italian utility Enel is partnering with engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor Comal to set up a solar tracker manufacturing plant with an annual production of up to 1GW.
Due to be built at the Montalto di Castro thermal power plant site in the central Italian region of Lazio, the factory will produce Comal’s Sun Hunter trackers and cover an area of 30,000 square metres.
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The initiative is part of Enel’s efforts to convert the site into a green energy hub, providing employment to personnel engaged in activities linked to the decommissioning of thermoelectric plants. It is expected the manufacturing facility will employ up to 70 workers at maximum output.
“The agreement with Comal and the new development of the Montalto di Castro site offer a concrete demonstration of the positive effects of the energy transition for businesses,” said Luca Solfaroli Camillocci, head of Italy for Enel Global Power Generation.
Enel is also planning to build a 10MW solar project at the site as well as energy storage systems totalling 245MW.
A new strategy unveiled in November will see the utility add around 43GW of solar and 9GW of energy storage by 2030, when its total owned renewables capacity will reach 129GW. It is aiming to reach net zero by 2040.
Alongside the tracker partnership, Enel’s solar manufacturing footprint is also being bolstered by the expansion of its 3SUN subsidiary’s heterojunction module production plant in Sicily. Nameplate capacity at the facility is being increased from 200MW per year to 3GW, the company revealed last year.
Enel Green Power was among a group of solar developers that last month called on the European Union to develop a supply chain strategy to help the bloc reach 20GW of PV manufacturing capacity by 2030.
