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ROME: The Vatican will \u200bbuild a roughly \u20ac100 million ($117 million) renewable energy plant that could power the Holy See within two \u200cyears via a system combining solar power and agriculture, sources involved in discussions on the project said.<\/strong><\/p>\n The agrivoltaic plant is expected to have a capacity of 80 to 90 megawatts, making it one of Italy\u2019s largest such installations, the sources added. In such plants, solar panels are \u200bmounted several metres above the ground so crops can grow beneath them, with the shade helping to reduce \u200bevaporation and shielding plants from extreme weather.<\/p>\n A joint Italian-Vatican commission met earlier this month to \u2060launch the project at the Vatican-owned Santa Maria di Galeria estate on Rome\u2019s northwestern outskirts, after Italy ratified a 2025 \u200bbilateral agreement for development of the site this year.<\/p>\n Officials disclosed no details of the project\u2019s cost, capacity or timeline after \u200bthe meeting. The sources involved in the discussions said the plant could take 18 to 24 months to complete, including permitting and administrative procedures.<\/p>\n The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n Vatican City, headquarters of the global Catholic Church and home to St. Peter\u2019s \u200bBasilica, is the world\u2019s smallest country, covering 108 acres and housing fewer than 900 residents.<\/p>\n The roughly 450-hectare Santa Maria di \u200bGaleria site, on Rome\u2019s northwestern outskirts, has hosted Vatican Radio\u2019s transmission facilities since the 1950s.<\/p>\n EXCESS ELECTRICITY WOULD BE SUPPLIED TO ITALY<\/strong><\/p>\n The plant is \u200cdesigned \u2060to supply power to Vatican Radio\u2019s transmission station and help make Vatican City State fully energy self-sufficient.<\/p>\n The sources said the power could also be used by Holy See-linked properties including Rome\u2019s Bambino Ges\u00f9 hospital.<\/p>\n The Vatican will not benefit from the financial incentives available to Italian households and businesses that install solar power. Any surplus electricity would be made available to Italy.<\/p>\n Tracking \u200bsolar panels would cover about 200 \u200bhectares, nearly half the \u2060Santa Maria di Galeria site, one of the two sources said.<\/p>\n The project was a priority for the late Pope Francis, the first pontiff to accept the scientific consensus on climate \u200bchange, and has been endorsed by Pope Leo XIV.<\/p>\n The bilateral agreement between Italy and Vatican \u200bCity has extended \u2060to the agrivoltaic project the special status already granted to Vatican Radio facilities, including exemptions from Italian taxes and public charges.<\/p>\n Italy\u2019s ratification law states that the implementation of the agreement must not result in any new or additional burden on public finances. In 2008, \u200bunder German-born Pope Benedict XVI, German companies SolarWorld and SMA Solar Technology donated the 2,400 photovoltaic panels and equipment installed on top of the Nervi \u200bHall, which hosts papal audiences and concerts.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Contracts \u2060for the \u200bwork will be put out to tender in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n