Belgian wire specialist Bekaert is investing in clean energy in Italy. It has signed a 12-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for renewable electricity with Edison Next, part of the Edison Group, Kallanish notes.
Edison will finance and build a photovoltaic plant at Bekaert’s facility in the province of Cagliari, Sardinia, with a total power of 6.1 megawatts, scheduled for commissioning in 2025.
This will cover over 20% of the Cagliari plant’s energy requirements, producing over 11.2 gigawatt-hours a year and helping to cut the plant’s emissions. The solar project at Bekaert’s Sardinia plant “incorporates trackers that follow the path of the sun to optimise renewable energy production … Photovoltaic is a mature technology that, backed by the PPA formula, represents a primary fundamental element for energy transition by companies,” Bekaert and Edison Next explain in a joint note.
Bekaert intends to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 46.2% by 2030, and invest in solar plants in other countries.
In its 2023 financial report, Bekaert said economic uncertainty continues and several end-markets remain challenging. However, trading in 2024 has started well across the majority of the firm’s business units, with modest sales growth and stable margins forecast for this year (see Kallanish 5 March).
Natalia Capra France