Italy Readies for 5.4 GW 'Ready-to-Build' Solar Projects

Terna, the Italian grid operator, says that it has received grid-connection requests for 144.48 GW of solar projects to date.

Italian grid operator Terna has updated its online map of connection requests for renewable energy projects. As of March 31, 2024, there were a total of 5,678 grid-connection requests for 336.68 GW of capacity.

Most of the requests are for solar projects – 3,642 requests for 144.48 GW of power, or 43.06% of the total. The remaining share is made up of onshore wind installations, with 1,897 requests for 101.14 GW, and offshore wind farms, with 139 requests for 90.41 GW.

The updated map also reveals that there are 132 “ready-to-build” PV plants, or 5.75 GW. They are concentrated in Lazio, with 54 requests for 2.38 GW, in Sicily, with 37 requests for 2.04 GW, and in Sardinia, with 10 requests for 0.47 GW.

Puglia also has a pipeline full of solar projects, but few are ready to start construction. Considering all the connection requests that are in progress, 844 authorization processes have been started for 34.39 GW of PV capacity.

Based on the total number of requests, Puglia is second only to Sicily (41.70 GW), but surpasses Lazio (8.53 GW) and Sardinia (22.99 GW). At the local level, Viterbo is the province with the most advanced connection requests.