Montalto di Castro thermal plant to be repurposed for solar tracker production

An agreement between Enel and Italian solar PV developer Comal will see a solar tracker factory built at the western Italy plant.

Comal’s Tracker Sun Hunter factory will be located in an area of over 30,000m2 that is no longer used for the Montalto di Castro plant’s energy activities, with an intended output of trackers to support a photovoltaic energy production of up to 1GW per year.

The aim is to produce fully local trackers to replace the currently imported products, and thereby contribute to the growth of the national renewable energy supply chain.

At maximum output, the plant, for which preparatory works are set to get underway in the early months of the year, will employ up to 70 workers at maximum output, including the possibility of re-employment of personnel linked to the decommissioning of thermoelectric plants in the region.

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“The agreement with Comal and the new development of the Montalto di Castro site offer a concrete demonstration of the positive effects of the energy transition for businesses, for the regions and for the country,” said Luca Solfaroli Camillocci, Head of Enel Green Power and Thermal Generation Italy.

The Montalto di Castro plant is at the centre of a major redevelopment, which will see the creation of a new energy hub comprised of initiatives in the energy sector, developed by Enel, and new business solutions developed by third parties.

The initiative is part of the Enel Group’s broader commitment to the redevelopment of disused power plant sites, based on a strategy prioritising the leveraging of existing structures and the integration of new renewable generation and storage systems, combined with new business projects in different areas.

The demolition of decommissioned oil-fired units is underway at the Montalto di Castro site. In parallel, Enel has started the authorisation process to construct a 10MW solar PV plant and instal around 245MW of energy storage on the site.

In line with Italy’s National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan and to support the country’s exit from coal, renovated turbogas plants which have been made more efficient will remain in operation at the facility.

Comal, like Montalto di Castro, is headquartered in the Lazio region, with its PV plant in the Montalto di Castro industrial zone.

Solar trackers allow photovoltaic panels to orient themselves and follow the sun throughout the day. Comal’s Sun Hunter tracker is a horizontal single-axis system that can be adapted to different PV configurations.