Landmark step for ESG Eko Agro Group into Agri-Photovoltaic solutions
On February 14th, 2024, ESG Eko Agro Group entered into a major agreement with Romelectro Investments to develop the first 170MWp of Agri-Photovoltaic (advanced APV) across different sites throughout Italy, an extensive project which will enable ten Farms to revamp their agro land while simultaneously generating green electricity (so-called Dual Use of Land).
The initial Farms are located in Tuscany, Calabria, and Basilicata. This first development is a part of a notable 405MW “Portfolio” that will further extend to other regions such as Umbria, Emilia Romagna, and Puglia, for a total of twenty Farms.
With the agreement encompassing “Advanced systems”, particular focus has been placed on the latest European directives and goals, specifically on the EU Next Generation Program 2030 (NGEU) as adopted in Italy with the PNIEC (Programma Nazionale Interatom per l’Energia e il Clima).
This elaborate project has been set up in full compliance with the Dual Materiality Analysis, adopting the taxonomy rules and obligations (Reg. 2020/852- Reg. 2021/2139 e Reg. 2021/2178), and the obligatory information regarding the Sustainability Report CSRD (Corporate Sustainable Reports Directive) EU Directive n. 2022/2464.
Eko Agro Group is very pleased to partner with Romelectro Group, a major EPC contractor in Romania and across international markets. Their extensive expertise and experience will play a key role in ensuring the entire energy chain - from production to transport, distribution to supply of electricity, ensuring “Green Investments” the necessary capacity and operational scalability to succeed.
Salvatore Toscano, CEO of ESG Eko Agro Group, commented:
“This collaboration offers us an important “dual” opportunity: promote sustainable and equitable agricultural solutions in Italy, fully compliant with the EU Next Generation Agenda, applying a “Model” capable to bypass the “grid” difficulty concerning connections capacity, contributing positively, at the PNIEC program requirements of 6GW/year. This partnership is capable to assure the “Grid connections” of 500 MWp per year.This will undoubtedly save precious time and resources while truly offering our Farmers the possibility to gain the economic support in a shorter period, a fundamental target Farmers have repeatedly remarked. Both companies share the same common goal of "transforming objectives into results", having Farmers truly being the main beneficiary of APV’s Investments.”
Mirona Filipoiu, CEO of Romelectro Group, commented:
“Romelectro means tradition, quality, professionalism, and promptness, no matter how complex the energy field is. The timing and context of this agreement comes within the strengthening bilateral economic relations between Italy and Romania - underlined at the intergovernmental summit and demonstrated in recent years by an increase in trade between the two countries by over 20% in 2022. The experience and capabilities of the group of companies have made Romelectro a reference on the market. Moreover, these strategic partnerships will offer the necessary advantages for consolidating the activity of exporting services and equipment on a very competitive basis.With the agro-industry cited amongst the top focal points, this agreement sits within one of the spotlight sectors across Europe today.
ESG EKO AGRO Group is an Italian company of the Swiss ESGTI Group focusing on sustainable and technology-enhanced agriculture (smart farming) in combination with Agri photovoltaics. www.ekoagrogroup.com
For more information about Romelectro see their website here www.romelectro.ro