ISG

EDP installs 2.5 GWh/year solar power plant at the Italian Sea Group facility

Monday 10, January 2022

The global yacht builder and operator chose EDP to install a photovoltaic system at Marina di Carrara, in Italy. This means that 25% of the buildings can be supplied with clean energy. The deal represents EDP's biggest solar contract since it started marketing this kind of service in Italy in 2020.

EDP Energia Italia, which belongs to the EDP Group, was chosen by the Italian Sea Group to install a photovoltaic system with 2 MWp and a production capacity of 2,571 MWh/year. The plant will have more than 5,000 solar panels and will be installed later this year at the company’s industrial buildings, where yachts longer than 50 meters are built.

The seven-year contract provides for the installation of panels in four hangars, over an area of 22,000 square meters. Thanks to this agreement, the Italian Sea Group, which is one of the biggest builders and operators of large yachts in the world, will be able to reduce its network’s energy needs by 25%, as it will be producing renewable energy for its own consumption. The power will be used to fuel the vessel production cycle, office heating and air conditioning systems, the lighting system, and other shipyard needs. EDP Energia Italia is responsible for the management, maintenance and monitoring of the plant.

The project also includes installation of six electric vehicle chargers in the complex. The Italian Sea Group will be able to avoid the emission of more than 1,000 metric tons of CO2 per year, and substantially reduce its energy bill.

EDP Energia Italia has been operating in Italy since 2019, and served its first solar customers in 2020. It has grown significantly on the Italian market, and its best year ever was in 2021, with almost 340,000 MW contracted. It currently has more than 600 power-supply and solar-solution contracts, and has sold more than 30,000 MW of solar capacity.

The company plans to boost Italy's energy transition by increasing investment in solar energy generation with the construction and management of solar parks, and by forming partnerships with corporate customers who can generate their own power, thereby benefiting from substantial energy savings.

The Italian Sea Group is a global operator in the luxury yacht sector, listed on Euronext Milan and active in the construction and refurbishment of personal watercraft and vessels up to 140 meters. The company, which is run by Italian businessman Giovanni Costantino, operates under the trademarks Admiral and Tecnomar. The company has increased its investment in sustainable solutions, as was already the case with raw materials for shipbuilding such as fibreglass and environmentally friendly paint.