Vatican launches €100 million agrivoltaic project to power its sites
The Vatican plans to build an €100 million solar-agriculture plant on its Santa Maria di Galeria estate, aiming for 80-90 MW capacity within two years.
Sources involved in talks say the Vatican will invest roughly €100 million (about S$148 million) in an agrivoltaic power plant on its Santa Maria di Galeria property on Rome’s north-western fringe. The facility, slated to produce between 80 and 90 megawatts, would rank among Italy’s largest solar-agriculture sites and could be operational within 18 to 24 months, pending permits. Panels will be mounted high enough to allow crops to grow underneath, reducing evaporation and shielding plants from harsh weather.
The generated electricity will primarily serve Vatican Radio’s transmission centre and help the Vatican achieve full energy independence, with excess supplied to Italy’s grid. The initiative, a priority of the late Pope Francis and backed by Pope Leo XIV, benefits from a bilateral agreement that grants tax and charge exemptions to the Vatican’s radio facilities. Contracts for construction are expected to be tendered in the coming weeks.
Why it matters
The project marks a major step toward the Vatican’s energy independence and showcases large-scale renewable farming in Italy.
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