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Holy See signs agreement for renewable energy project near Rome
The Holy See signs a Memorandum of Understanding with APSA, Fondazione Fratello Sole and ACEA to advance the development of an agrivoltaic plant, aimed at supporting Vatican City State’s energy needs through renewable energy production.
Vatican News
The Governorate of Vatican City State, the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), Fondazione Fratello Sole, and ACEA, one of Italy’s leading energy and water utilities, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The agreement aims to advance the development of an agrivoltaic plant in the extraterritorial area of Santa Maria di Galeria, near Rome.
The agreement, signed on 10 June, establishes a framework for cooperation in the planning and implementation of the project, which the Holy See intends to develop through the Governorate, APSA, and Fondazione Fratello Sole.
The initiative follows the establishment of Fondazione Fratello Sole by Pope Leo XIV through a Chirograph issued on 1 June. The Foundation has been entrusted with overseeing the project, which is intended to provide electricity not only for the Vatican Radio transmission centre located at Santa Maria di Galeria, near Rome, but also to contribute to the energy needs of Vatican City State.
The agrivoltaic plant will combine renewable energy production with agricultural activity, in line with the environmental principles outlined in Pope Francis’ Encyclical Laudato si’, the Apostolic Exhortation Laudate Deum, and the Motu Proprio Fratello Sole.
Given the project’s technical complexity, ACEA will support the initiative by providing expertise in the energy, environmental, water, and agricultural sectors.
The legal framework for the project was established through the Agreement between the Italian Republic and the Holy See concerning an agrivoltaic plant at Santa Maria di Galeria, signed on 31 July 2025 and ratified by Italy in April 2026.
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