Catania is the second most populous city in Sicily (Southern Italy). Starting from 2024, it will host Turkey’s largest solar panel factory. Europe, A center with an annual production capacity of 3 GW, managed by the Italian energy company Enel, which presented its project on Monday.
The factory, which is expected to be completed in the coming summer months, was introduced at an event attended by Italian Minister of Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin. renewableThe facility is a step forward for Europe’s energy independence.
“It will not only reduce polluting emissions, but also reduce energy dependence”He stressed, referring to the supply problems that surfaced with the war in Ukraine.
Pichetto, your investment, “of strong political importance”, estimated at around 600 million euros: “Saving our country from foreign dependency, especially China, in the production of renewable energy systems.”
Factory named 3Sun Gigafactory will expand production capacity of an existing workshop from 200 MW per year to 3GW per yearinitially developing photovoltaic modules with silicon heterojunction technology (Heterojunction Technology, HJT).
ButEnel’s plan envisions that from 2025 its panels will use a new technology, “tandem”, Among other innovations, it replaces the glass sheet with a recyclable plastic sheet, which solves the environmental impact when its approximately 35-year lifespan has expired.
Besides the Italian Government, the European Commission will participate in the construction with a financing of approximately 190 million euros.
“Fits our plan to make Europe a technology hub for green energy” He defended European Commission energy director Ditte Juul Jørgensen.
solar energy leader
The European representative was accompanied by Enel’s director, Francesco Starace, and Sicilian officials, whom the island boasts of “more than 200 days of sunshine,” assured.The region has the potential to become a “leader in solar energy”.
“Development must be based on regions with high levels of unemployment, such as Sicily”, He pointed out that Europe’s goal is to reach 600 GW of energy produced by solar panels by 2023.
Enel has already started hiring 550 people and the total of his project 900 direct jobs and 1,000 indirect jobs.
But, Conservative Renato Schifani, president of the Sicily Region, took advantage of the presentation and asked the energy company to build in addition to the factory. Photovoltaic panel installations for Sicily to become a renewable energy supplier for the entire continent.
“Sicily also has the potential to be a power generation pole and self-sufficient”, stressful.