Neoen, one of the world’s leading independent producers of renewable energy, has officially inaugurated its first solar farm in Italy. The 7.4 MWp Arena Po Solar Farm, located in the municipality of Arena Po in Lombardy, began injecting electricity into the national grid at the start of 2026 and has now reached full operational status. The facility is expected to generate 11.9 GWh of clean electricity annually—enough to meet the energy needs of approximately 8,000 people—while avoiding nearly 3,300 tonnes of CO₂ emissions each year. This marks an important milestone for Neoen as it expands its footprint in one of Europe’s key renewable energy markets.
The electricity produced by the Arena Po Solar Farm contributes to a broader 53 MW ten-year power purchase agreement (PPA) signed in November 2024 between Neoen and Equinix, a major global digital infrastructure provider. The agreement covers a portfolio of solar projects located across northern Italy, strategically positioned near Equinix’s data centres in Milan and Genoa. Designed as a portfolio-based PPA, it supports the addition of new renewable capacity to the grid and aligns with Italy’s National Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) 2030 goals.
This partnership also represents Neoen and Equinix’s first PPA in Italy and their fifth in Europe, bringing their total contracted capacity across the continent to 210 MW. Among these agreements is a significant ten-year PPA signed in January 2023 for Finland, under which Equinix purchases 60% of the energy generated by Neoen’s 105 MW Storbötet Wind Farm. These long-term partnerships demonstrate the growing alignment between renewable energy developers and digital infrastructure operators, particularly as energy-intensive sectors such as cloud and AI continue to expand.
Neoen’s total operating and under-construction capacity in Italy has now reached 120 MW. The company is pursuing a long-term strategy to position itself as a major driver of renewable energy development in the country. With teams based in Brescia, Modena, Rome, and Milan, Neoen is steadily progressing a 2.3 GW development pipeline focusing on large-scale solar and battery storage projects to support Italy’s decarbonisation and energy-security objectives.
Reflecting on the milestone, Neoen Italy’s Co-Managing Directors, Andrea Bartolini and Daniele Lucchi, expressed pride in the commissioning of the company’s first Italian solar asset and extended their appreciation to the partners involved in delivering the project. They emphasised the importance of the collaboration with Equinix and reaffirmed Neoen’s commitment to supplying affordable clean energy to support the customer’s continued growth.
Emanuela Grandi, Managing Director of Equinix Italy, highlighted that the surge in AI-driven digital infrastructure has made responsible energy sourcing more critical than ever. She noted that Equinix’s Italian operations already achieve 100% renewable energy coverage and that the partnership with Neoen reinforces the company’s global goal of reaching 100% renewable energy across all operations by 2030. The agreement also enables the company to expand its local data-centre capacity while directly contributing to national decarbonisation and new clean generation on the grid.
Louis de Sambucy, Regional CEO Europe for Neoen, concluded by recognising the achievement as an example of effective collaboration between renewable energy producers and digital infrastructure providers. He underscored that the partnership demonstrates how data-centre growth and renewable energy development can progress together. He also noted that Neoen remains eager to continue identifying new opportunities in Italy and across Europe to deliver cost-competitive clean energy and innovative solutions to its growing customer base.
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