The new facility joins Radicondoli 2, which started up in early November.
The new initiative continues the growth of the Tuscan geothermal centre of Enel's renewables company, one of the largest in the world, with 35 plants and a total capacity of 728 MW.
Rome, November 26th, 2010 The new geothermal power plant at Chiusdino, in the town of the same name in the province of Siena, begins operation today.
The plant, which has an installed capacity of 20 MW, will be able to generate more than 145 million kilowatt hours, equivalent to the electricity consumption of 55,000 households, and avoid the emission of 100,000 tonnes of CO2, as well as 32,000 TOE (tonnes of oil equivalent) in fossil fuel savings per year.
The project which required a comprehensive environmental impact study to enable optimal landscaping is at the forefront of geothermal power generation, adopting the most rigorous quality and safety standards developed in over a century of experience, making Enel Green Power the world leader in this field.
The Chiusdino plant, which will be completed with the drilling of five additional wells, joins the Radicondoli 2 facility, also located in the province of Siena, which started operation at the beginning of November.
Chiusdino has been developed by EGP's in-house engineering staff and was largely built using local businesses and workers. The local authorities also played an important role in decisions on the environmental insertion of the plant, notably as regards its visual impact.
"With the start-up of Chiusdino and Radicondoli 2, our geothermal capacity in Tuscany rises to 728 MW, enough to meet the needs of 3 million households, all while protecting the environment", said Francesco Starace, CEO of Enel Green Power. "We are very proud of this achievement, which confirms the global leadership of Italy, with Enel Green Power, in all aspects, technological and otherwise, of this renewable energy sector."