The Vatican Will Build One Of Italy's Largest Power Plants
- 22.08.2026, 17:31
The power plant will help the Vatican achieve complete energy self-sufficiency.
The Vatican will build a power plant with a capacity of 80 to 90 MW and a cost of about €100 million ($117 million); it will run on renewable energy sources and will be one of the largest in Italy. This was reported by Reuters citing sources familiar with the project’s progress.
Construction at the Vatican-owned Santa Maria di Galleria complex on the northwestern outskirts of Rome will take between one and a half and two years, including administrative procedures. Bids for the work will be announced in the coming weeks.
The project was a priority for Pope Francis—the first pontiff to acknowledge the scientific consensus on climate change—and has received the support of Pope Leo XIV.
In June 2026, Leo XIV established the Fratello Sole Foundation to implement the project. An agreement between Italy and the Vatican grants the project special status, similar to that already in place for Vatican Radio facilities, including exemption from Italian taxes and fees.
The station will supply power to the Vatican Radio transmitter and help the Vatican achieve complete energy self-sufficiency. Surplus electricity will be transmitted to Italy.
In agrivoltaic systems, solar panels are installed several meters above the ground, allowing crops to be grown, while their shade reduces evaporation and protects plants from extreme weather conditions. The automatically rotating solar panels will cover approximately 200 hectares—nearly half the area of Santa Maria di Galleria. Since the 1950s, this approximately 450-hectare site has been home to Vatican Radio facilities.
The Vatican—the headquarters of the Catholic Church and home to St. Peter’s Basilica—is the world’s smallest state, covering an area of 44 hectares and with a population of fewer than 900 people.
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