The Vatican plans to build a renewable energy plant costing approximately €100 million ($117 million) to supply electricity for the Holy See, according to sources involved in the project. The facility will use agrivoltaic technology, which combines solar power generation with agricultural production by elevating panels several meters above the ground to allow for crop growth. Sources stated the project could be completed within 18 to 24 months.
The project will be located at the Santa Maria di Galeria estate, a 450-hectare site on the northwestern outskirts of Rome that has hosted Vatican Radio transmission facilities since the 1950s. The site is granted special status through a bilateral agreement between Italy and Vatican City, which includes exemptions from Italian taxes and public charges. Italy ratified a 2025 agreement for the development of the site earlier this year, and a joint commission met this month to launch the initiative.
The proposed plant is expected to have a capacity of 80 to 90 megawatts, according to two sources, which would make it one of the largest installations of its kind in Italy. Tracking solar panels will cover approximately 200 hectares, nearly half of the estate. While officials have not publicly confirmed specific costs or timelines, sources said the project includes permitting and administrative procedures. The Vatican did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the details.
The scale of the 80 to 90 megawatt facility will have direct implications for the Italian energy market. Because the Vatican will not receive the financial incentives typically available to Italian households or businesses for solar installations, any excess electricity generated by the 200 hectares of panels will be supplied to the Italian national grid. This provides a new source of renewable energy for the surrounding region without, according to the ratification law, placing any new financial burden on Italian public finances.
The project sets a precedent for how the Vatican utilizes its extraterritorial properties to meet modern environmental goals endorsed by Pope Leo XIV and the late Pope Francis. It builds upon smaller-scale efforts, such as the 2,400 panels installed on the Nervi Hall in 2008. The next concrete step for the project will occur in the coming weeks, when contracts for the construction and implementation of the agrivoltaic system are scheduled to be put out to tender.