ENEL GREEN POWER EXPANDS HYDROELECTRIC OPERATIONS WITH THE BARDONECCHIA PLANT

The plant’s unit no. 2 has entered into service for the first time; when fully operational, it will produce 42 million kWh per year.

Rome, April 11th, 2011 – Unit no. 2 at Enel Green Power’s hydroelectric plant in Bardonecchia (Turin) entered service for the first time.

In addition to generating electricity, unit no. 2, with an installed capacity of more than 3 MW, will ensure the necessary flow of the water contained in the Rochemolles reservoir for hydroelectric and drinking uses under the agreement between Enel, SMAT – Società Metropolitana Acque Torino, the Region of Piedmont and Area Authority No. 3 Turin.

The construction of the plant allowed to build the Valle Aqueduct for the municipalities of Upper and Lower Susa Valley and neighboring municipalities. In doing so, a high quality natural resource, such as that of the Rochemolles reservoir dam, can now be used for drinking water.

Meanwhile, assembly work at unit no. 1 continues. The unit will have an installed capacity of 20.5 MW and will be put in operation in the coming months.

The new hydroelectric plant, with a total capacity of 23.5 MW, will completely replace the old 22 MW hydroelectric plant, with an incremental capacity of 1.6 MW. When fully operational, the plant will be able to generate 42 million kWh – enough to meet the consumption needs of more than 15,000 households and avoid the emission of approximately 30,000 metric tons of CO2 each year.

The work, carried out by the Hydroelectric Generation Projects unit of Enel’s Generation and Energy Management Division, will be completed by the end of 2011.

”The new facility in Bardonecchia shows that it is still possible to invest in hydro in Italy,” said Francesco Starace, CEO of Enel Green Power, “Although it is the oldest energy source, it still continues to contribute significantly to the growth of renewables in our country, thanks to revamping options aimed at maintaining the plants at full efficiency.”

Currently, Enel Green Power has about 2,539 MW of hydroelectric power installed in Italy and abroad, generating over 11 billion kWh.

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