Zelestra starts operations at first Italian solar facility
Published by Jessica Casey,
Editor
Energy Global,
Zelestra, a global, multi-technology, customer-focused renewable energy company, has announced full commercial operations at the 6.5 MWdc Ginosa solar plant in Puglia, Italy.
Ginosa is the first fully operational project in Zelestra’s Italian portfolio, which includes more than 1.4 GW of solar and battery energy storage projects in total across the country.
The agrivoltaic project, which supported around 50 jobs in construction, forms part of a broader collaboration with BKW Energy, via a 10-year power purchased agreement (PPA) with Zelestra. As well as Ginosa, the agreement will also see the delivery of the Bellomo agrivoltaic project located in Modica, Sicily, which will have an installed capacity of 9.5 MWdc.
Located in the province of Taranto, Ginosa will have an annual production of 11.7 GWh, enough clean energy to power the equivalent of 4000 Italian homes and avoid the emission of nearly 3700 tpy of CO2.
Bianca?Sarbu, Head of Trading & Origination at BKW, said: “This successful operationalisation clearly demonstrates how strong partnerships help bring more renewable energy into the system. Together with Zelestra, BKW is creating the future of clean energy in Italy and accelerating the transition toward a more sustainable power mix.”
Eliano Russo, Zelestra’s CEO in Italy, added: “2026 will be another year of major expansion for Zelestra in Italy, and fully energising our first solar project is the perfect catalyst for the growth journey ahead. Bringing this project online has taken many years of careful planning and design, detailed consultation with local communities and authorities, and of course the committed support of our customer BKW. We are now focused on doubling our 1.4 GW pipeline this year, completing the Bellomo agrivoltaics project, and starting construction on many further projects that we secured contracts for last year in the FER X auctions.”
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Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/solar/30012026/zelestra-starts-operations-at-first-italian-solar-facility/
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