Edison Next signs contract with Berco for new photovoltaic plant

MILAN, Italy, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Edison Next, an Edison Group company that focuses on decarbonisation and ecological transition, has embarked on a path towards sustainability with Berco, a ThyssenKrupp Group company specialising in the manufacture of undercarriage components and systems for tracked earthmoving machinery and equipment for the overhaul and maintenance of such components.

Under the 20-year onsite PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) contract signed with Berco, Edison Next will be responsible for the design, construction, management and maintenance of a ground-mounted photovoltaic plant with a capacity of about 7.1 MWp for the Copparo (Province of Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna) site, Berco’s historical and main plant, which is considered one of the world’s largest production centres in the sector, covering an area of 550,000 m² and employing around 1,400 people.

The new photovoltaic plant will cover a total area of 96,000 m² and will consist of 70 inverters and 11,600 PV modules, most of which will be mounted on single-axis tracking structures and the remainder on fixed structures. The plant will generate around 11,000 MWh per year, covering 9% of the plant’s electricity needs through renewables. Therefore, the plant will contribute to the reduction of energy costs on the one hand, and to the reduction of the environmental impact on the other hand, by avoiding the emission into the atmosphere of more than 3,800 tonnes of CO2 per year, equal to the amount absorbed by about 115,000 plants. The share of self-consumption of renewable electricity self-produced by Edison Next and destined for the Copparo site will be just over 80%; the remainder can be stored or fed into the grid.

“We are pleased to begin a virtuous path of energy transition with Berco,” said Marco Steardo, Director of Industry at Edison Next. “Photovoltaics is a mature, consolidated and reliable technology,” he continued, “that ensures benefits in terms of energy and emission reductions, and increases grid independence, limiting exposure to price volatility. Today, it is the key technology from which to start on the path to decarbonisation”. “The realisation of this project is further confirmation of our company’s clear desire to maintain a technological leadership not only in products but also in the production process,” commented Piero Bruno, CEO of Berco, “through a sustainability plan that will see us operate at 360 degrees on all aspects of the conscious use of primary sources, energy and water necessary for the production of our products.” According to Patrick Buchmann, CEO of the ThyssenKrupp Forged Technologies Business Unit, of which Berco is part, the cooperation with Edison Next will significantly contribute to the important path that Forged Technologies and Berco have undertaken at the Copparo plant to achieve the environmental impact of its production in line with ThyssenKrupp’s 2030 emission reduction targets.

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