Gela, Europe's most innovative biorefinery is Italian

The development of renewable energy

In Gela we are conducting a number of activities in renewable energy. Through Eni Rewind, we have built a 5 MW photovoltaic plant on the former phosphogypsum landfill site, which has already been made permanently safe. An additional plant with a capacity of about 1 MW was built by Eni New Energy in an area owned by Eni Rewind. In collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston and the Polytechnic University of Milan, we also installed the first Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant in the New Oil Centre in Gela. We are currently investigating how to spread this technology on a large scale, for instance to produce energy for self-consumption at other industrial sites. This project is part of SOLARGRID, an initiative partially funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) that aims to support industrial research and experimental development projects.

Natural gas fields

In Sicily, we operate in hydrocarbon production through Eni Mediterranea Idrocarburi (EniMed). Operations are coordinated by the Gela Headquarters and include four Oil Centres, three offshore platforms and three gas-fired power stations across the region. In line with our strategy of using natural gas as a low-emission energy source, we started a project for the development of the Argo and Cassiopea fields. The extracted gas will be sent to a new treatment and compression plant at the Gela biorefinery and then fed into the national distribution network. In this way we will contribute to the security of supply using the country's own resources. The extraction operations in Gela use the most advanced proprietary monitoring and prevention technologies, so that they can be tested and applied worldwide.

Environmental remediation activities

The former petrochemical plant in Gela is considered a Site of National Priority, i.e., an area requiring special remediation work as a result of operations carried out over decades by several companies. The environmental remediation of the site is the responsibility of Eni Rewind, Eni's environmental company. The programme, which began with emergency safety works, includes the remediation and monitoring of the aquifer, soil remediation and the demolition of plants, warehouses and buildings. Today, thanks to the commitment of Eni and Eni Rewind, Gela represents a virtuous example of environmental regeneration and technological innovation aimed at creating new development opportunities for the area.

Local development initiatives

In Gela we carry out a series of activities aimed at supporting the local community and engaging in dialogue with institutions and with all local stakeholders. Respect for and protection of people and the environment are always at the centre of every project. These are essential conditions for creating long-term value. Two examples are the renovation of the “ex Casa-albergo” in the Macchitella district and the training of a group of students through the Italian government's apprenticeship programme and through Joule, Eni's business school. Together with the Municipality of Gela, Fondazione Banco Alimentare and Banco Alimentare della Sicilia ONLUS, we also signed a collaboration agreement for food safety.