A great future for an area steeped in history

Not far from Turin, near France, there’s an area of vast rice fields, where a substantial proportion of Italian rice is produced: it’s an area that also owes its reputation to Trino, in the province of Vercelli, formerly the site of a nuclear power plant and the location of the Cavour family farm. It was here that Camillo Cavour was first an apprentice and then the manager of the family farm, turning the estate acquired by his father in 1882 into a large model enterprise comprised of farmland, woodland and small hamlets, before moving on to become Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy. Today Trino is set to become yet another example of energy conversion in Italy, with benefits for the local area and communities. From the site of an ex-nuclear power plant that was shut down after 1987 and then a thermoelectric plant that closed in 2019, it’s now being transformed into a large photovoltaic park coupled with an energy storage system. The solar plant – where construction work began at the end of September – will be one of the largest in Northern Italy: around 130 hectares allocated for the installation of almost 160,000 modules, with a total capacity of 86 MW and an annual production of approximately 130 GWh, combined with a storage system of 25 MW. Every year the solar plant will prevent around 56,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere and it’s estimated that it will be able to support the supply of clean energy to around 48,000 families. Thanks to dialogue and collaboration with the local administration and local institutions, the project also involves important sustainability initiatives consistent with the historical and cultural background of the area in which the plant will be built. Architectural and functional restoration work will be carried out on public buildings in the hamlet of Leri Cavour and in the area immediately surrounding the plant, as well as the restoration of a section of the historical route along the road which connects the hamlet to Cascina Colombara. A sustainable project for the local area Trino will also be a sustainable building site, with reduced environmental and social impact, applying the principles of the circular economy, producing less waste and maximizing the re-use of excavated materials. “A strategic project for our area has finally been put into action – and in the context of the current energy crisis, no less,” says the Mayor of Trino, Daniele Pane. “This result was achieved in spite of the usual bureaucratic difficulties that accompany authorization procedures in our country, and we’re confident that our government will take action on it.” “Starting construction on this plant,” asserts Eleonora Petrarca, Head of Business Development Italy at Enel Green Power, “is a further step forward in our strategy for the growth of renewables in Italy. Thanks to constructive and positive dialogue with people in the region, through this project, Trino will once again return to the forefront of energy production. And it will do so in a sustainable way, looking to the future, in line with national, European and global objectives for decarbonization and the reduction of emissions.” Storing energy In accordance with the European Fit-for-55 objectives, the REPowerEU plan and more generally in the context of the current energy transition, the thermoelectric power plants with the greatest environmental impact currently active in Italy will be gradually replaced by renewable energy plants. The new solar park in Trino is a shining example of this. In order to guarantee energy supply when there is no sun, it will be increasingly important for renewable energy plants to be equipped with energy storage systems. This is an opportunity to build an integrated storage facility in the same area, to provide backup to the reliability and capability of the electric system and also supply ancillary services to the network. It’s an ambitious project for the future of the area and of the entire country; the fruit of a long and important past.

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A great future for an area steeped in history

A great future for an area steeped in history

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