(Finance) – Construction work on the agricultural park has begun in Landolina in Scicli (province of Ragusa, Sicily), owned by Falck Renewables.
The plant – 9.7 MW of installed capacity – it will combine the production of photovoltaic renewable energy with agricultural and livestock activities, giving new life to land left fallow in the last twenty years. The company estimates that, once completed, the agricultural park will produce around 20 GWh of renewable energy, equal to the needs of around 5,000 households.
The completion of the works, with the commissioning of the plant, is expected around the end of the third quarter of 2022.
The park covers an area of 22 hectares: of these, 17 are intended for the coexistence of photovoltaics and agro-zootechnical activities, while 5 hectares are dedicated solely to tree planting. The soil will be used for the planting of native crops identified in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment of the University of Catania. Among these, fruit trees, medicinal plants and a polyphite meadow for grazing sheep and for the breeding of bees and the production of honey and beehive products.
The agricultural activity will be managed by local companies, with positive effects on a territory of great value such as that of Scicli, a UNESCO heritage city.
“The start of construction work on the Scicli park represents a important result, the result of collaboration with the territory and the local community. We are proud to build in this very place a plant that combines the production of clean energy and agricultural activity. After more than a decade, we are back to carrying out a renewable project in Italy, working with local suppliers for a short supply chain that creates jobs in the area in a sustainable way. We are happy to do it in Sicily, creating value for the Sciclitan and Sicilian community ”, he commented Carlo Gargano, Area manager Sicily of Falck Renewables.