BNZ acquires two solar PV plants in Sicily from GreenGo as a further commitment to develop renewables in Italy
BNZ, an independent power producer (IPP) that develops, builds, and operates solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, has closed on the SPAs signed years ago for the acquisition of two greenfield solar PV plants with a total capacity of 127.7 MW from GreenGo. The two projects, of 90.5 MW and 37.2 MW respectively, are located in the region of Sicily, Italy, in the municipalities of Francofonte (Siracusa) and Lercara Friddi (Palermo).
The Lercara solar PV plant will be starting operations during the first half of 2026, while the Francofonte solar PV plant is expected to enter into operational phase at the end of 2026. The clean energy produced by these two solar plants will meet the annual electricity needs of approximately 51,000 residents. In total, the two plants will also avoid the emission of 72,880 tonnes of CO2 per year, the equivalent of around 27,000 roundtrip flights between Palermo and the Maldives.
As part of BNZ’s commitment to the local communities in which it has a presence, BNZ participates with local authorities in Francofonte in the creation of an agro-energy community. This facility represents an innovative model for compensation management with an open system involving multiple stakeholders, is to say both the local authorities and agricultural businesses in the area, a zone of excellence for the cultivation of citrus fruits.
BNZ Managing Director Luis Selva said: “The takeover of these fully authorized projects represent our first steps into Sicily and the consolidation of our presence in the Italian market. We thank GreenGo for their collaboration developing these projects in a way that is very attentive to the needs of local communities We take the witness confirming our dedication to be a responsible partner in the communities where we operate, to ensure that these projects can be an opportunity for social and environmental growth, building strong relationships to ensure to create value in the long-term”.
In September 2023, BNZ inaugurated the works of three photovoltaic projects with a total capacity of 135MW developed in the Lazio Region, near Viterbo and Montalto di Castro. In this regard, other projects are under development in the same Lazio Region together with Apulia and Sicily.
BNZ Head of Development Gabriele Sommantico added: “These new projects in Sicily provide a further boost to our development in Italy. We expect to have the Lazio plants in operation by the third quarter of 2025. All other projects in our pipeline will likely have reached ready-to-build status by next year. We are also keen to explore new opportunities to strengthen our presence in Italy, with a specific interest in storage technology as well”.
BNZ, part of Nuveen Infrastructure, thanks to its expertise and investments, intends to collaborate on Italy’s energy transition goals and expects to bring further initiatives to life by developing a total pipeline of around 500MW of renewable energy projects by the end of 2025 in the country. In total, BNZ plans to deploy an aggregate portfolio of more than 1.7 GW of renewable energy in southern Europe.
