- The entirely refurbished plant was inaugurated today by Enel CEO Fulvio Conti and Michele Iorio, the President of the Region of Molise.
- By the end of 2008, the plant will be expanded to 38 MW and will provide renewable energy to 26,000 households, thus avoiding 55,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year. The total investment will amount to 39 million euros.
- Part of Enels plan to invest 7.4 billion euros by 2012 to develop renewable energy resources and new technologies.
Frosolone (Isernia), 28 March 2008 Today Enels Chief Executive Officer and General Manager, Fulvio Conti, and the President of the Region of Molise, Michele Iorio, inaugurated a new wind power facility in Frosolone, in the province of Isernia. The modernization and expansion of the plant will be completed by the end of the year, with a total investment of 39 million euros.
The new plant, located in the Acquaspruzza area, replaces the wind farm built by Enel in 1995. About 7 million euros were invested in upgrading the wind farm by replacing old wind turbines with new, more reliable and quieter equipment with much greater efficiency. Within the year, the plant will have 45 wind turbines, with an investment of an additional 32 million euros, for an installed capacity of about 38 MW. When fully operational, it will generate 76.6 million kWh of electricity, enough to meet the needs of 26,000 households and avoid about 55,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year.
This plant, stated Fulvio Conti, is a virtuous example of collaboration between industry, local government and environmental associations, one that we hope can be replicated in other areas of Italy. Enels commitment to renewable energy sources is substantial and continues to grow: Enels emission-free generation already accounts for about a third of the total. As of the end of 2007, the installed capacity of wind plants in Italy had risen to 315 MW. Our goal under our new business plan, which we presented just a few days ago, is to increase this fivefold to reach 1,490 MW of wind power capacity in Italy by 2012. We believe in wind power and we want to play a leading role in expanding this energy resource in our country.
Michele Iorio commented Molise has a priceless environmental heritage characterized by the harmonious co-existence of man with an uncontaminated land in which we have the luck and privilege to live. For this reason, our Region has focused on safeguarding the countryside and adopting policies for sustainable development. We are all too aware that economic and social development must go hand in hand with an informed and virtuous approach to leveraging our natural heritage. One example of this is precisely our support for initiatives such as the one we are presenting today, which links a natural resource, the wind, with the generation of clean energy. This electricity will power our homes and businesses, helping to create development and well-being. It is necessary to move in this direction, pursuing research into renewable, clean resources, if we wish to meet the challenges of ever increasing demand for energy.
The new wind farm is part of the plan by the Region of Molise to develop renewable energy resources, which in the coming months will see the installation of wind plants with a total capacity of 50 MW. In addition to the existing plants (Frosolone, Campolieto and Montarone), the facility inaugurated today will be expanded, providing energy to Macchiagodena as well as Frosolone, and new plants will be built in the towns of Roccamandolfi and Civitacampomarano.
The wind farm currently has 8 wind turbines, but with the same number of turbines it now has an installed capacity of 6.8 MW, almost three times greater than the old plant. In addition, the new wind farm was also designed blend into the area and the landscape to the greatest extent possible. This testifies to Enels considerable attention to technological innovation and the efficient, and environmentally compatible, operation of its facilities.
The modernization and expansion of the Frosolone wind plant is part of Enels Environment and Innovation project, which between 2008 and 2012 will involve investment of 7.4 billion euros: 6.8 billion for the development of renewable energy and 600 million for research and development of innovative technologies such as high-efficiency solar power, off-shore wind facilities, hydrogen applications and CO2 capture and sequestration.