Vatican plans €100 million solar-agriculture plant in Italy

The Vatican plans to build a renewable energy plant costing about €100 million ($117 million) that could make the Holy See energy self-sufficient within two years, according to sources involved in discussions on the project.

The agrivoltaic facility, planned at the Vatican-owned Santa Maria di Galeria estate near Rome, is expected to have a capacity of 80–90 megawatts. The project will combine solar panels with agriculture, allowing crops to grow beneath elevated panels while benefiting from shade and reduced evaporation, Reuters reports. 

A joint Italian-Vatican commission met earlier this month to begin work on the project after Italy ratified a bilateral agreement covering development of the site. The facility could take 18–24 months to complete, including permitting and administrative procedures, the sources said.

The plant is expected to supply electricity to Vatican Radio’s transmission facilities and help make Vatican City fully energy self-sufficient. Surplus electricity could be made available to Italy, while power could also be used by Vatican-linked properties, including Rome’s Bambino Gesù hospital.

Solar panels would cover about 200 hectares of the approximately 450-hectare Santa Maria di Galeria estate, according to one source. Contracts for the project are expected to be put out to tender in the coming weeks.

The project was a priority for the late Pope Francis and has been endorsed by Pope Leo XIV.

The Vatican did not immediately comment on the project’s cost, capacity or timeline.

By Sabina Mammadli