The campaign, aimed at financing part of the agrivoltaic plant, envisages annual returns of 6.5% for the inhabitants of the municipalities of Terzo di Aquileia and Cervignano del Friuli, who wish to join.
Renantis brings its sustainable approach to Friuli Venezia Giulia, by sharing the value generated by the plant to promote widespread, compatible, and agriculture-related sustainability, in synergy with local communities.
The plant will combine the production of clean energy with beekeeping, The plant will combine the production of clean energy with agriculture activity, including the planting of a variety of native crops under the solar panels, the installation of beehives and a polyphytic meadow, composed of multiple species of grasses. The cultivation will contribute to climate change mitigation, biodiversity protection, soil protection from the effects of erosion and the creation of habitats for wildlife and bees.
The plant will also include advanced technology agricultural tools to make beekeeping activities more efficient and sustainable.
The inhabitants of Terzo di Aquileia and Cervignano del Friuli, who will join the campaign, will receive a gross annual return of 6.5 per cent; for the inhabitants of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, the value set is 5.5 per cent. At a later stage, the financing opportunity will also be open to Renantis' Italian employees, key figures in the Group's green vocation.
The lending crowdfunding campaign will be developed through a remunerated loan, guaranteed by Renantis and not directly linked to the actual production of the plant. Through the Ener2Crowd platform it will be possible for individuals to participate in the project with investment of between 200 and 10,000 euro. Receiving annual interest on the loan made for 36 months, participants have the possibility of early exit and full recovery of the capital paid in, at the end of the period.
"For over fifteen years, our Group has been successfully conducting initiatives to share the value created by our renewable plants," comments Giangiacomo Altobelli, Renantis' community manager in Italy. "In 2021 we launched our first lending crowdfunding campaign in Sicily, in the province of Ragusa, with a high level of participation from the local community. This new initiative in Friuli Venezia Giulia is further evidence of our sustainable commitment, which is based on caring, both for the region and for the people who live around our facilities."
MYTILINEOS – Energy & Metals and Compagnie de Saint-Gobain, worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, have signed a private wire Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) relating to the energy generated from a 4.9 MW solar farm in Italy.
The solar power plant will reach commercial operation in mid-2023 and it will be built on the premises of Saint-Gobain’s historical factory in Vidalengo, near Bergamo. With this solar asset, more than 7.5 GWh of renewable electricity per year will be produced, displacing more than 3,900 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year – the equivalent of the yearly carbon footprint of ca. 700 people living in Italy.
Yiannis Kalafatas, Chief Executive Director of MYTILINEOS’ Energy Sector stated “MYTILINEOS is evolving into an integrated utility, but as it is at the same time one of the largest power-intensive industries in Europe, understands the increased needs of its partners. Italy represents a strategic country for the Company and with this agreement we are demonstrating our capabilities to support local industries in this difficult period of energy volatility and our support to the Italian energy independence policy.”
This 10-year PPA secures a significant portion of Saint-Gobain’s electricity consumption in Vidalengo factory. In addition, locking into a favorable electricity price ensure business competitiveness, as it reduces operational costs in part due to significant savings on grid fees. The project falls under the Italian regulation for self-consumption, known as SEU.
Gaetano Terrasini, Saint-Gobain’s Italian CEO, said “Sustainability is part of Saint-Gobain’s DNA. The Group’s vision is to become worldwide leader in sustainable construction, not only thanks to our solutions that make it possible to build energy efficient and comfortable buildings, but thanks to our production processes too, for which we have set ambitious targets in terms of CO2, waste and water reduction. The closing of this agreement for our Vidalengo plant represents one of the actions that will support Italian operation to achieve the Group’s aspiring goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.”
MYTILINEOS fully supports Greece’s and Italy’s strategic plan for decarbonization, with current and future investments, especially now that the energy prices are at historic highs in the European Union. Specifically, the Company currently has an Italian portfolio of 157MW in construction, 2 GW in development and is planning to add additionaly 1 GW during 2023.
