Eni SPA has started gas production in the Argo Cassiopea field, a gas development project in Italy.
The gas comes from one of four subsea wells drilled in the Strait of Sicily in recent months and will be transported through a 60-kilometer-long subsea pipeline to the processing plant in Gela, where it will be processed and then fed into the Italian electricity grid, Eni said in a press release.
The Argo Cassiopea production project, operated by Eni in a joint venture with Energean, began production three years after construction began. Production takes place entirely underwater, with no visual impact and almost zero emissions, Eni explained.
In addition, the installation of 3.6 megawatt peak (MWp) photovoltaic modules ensures that the project is carbon neutral in terms of emissions from emission zones 1 and 2, Eni said, adding that Argo Cassiopea plays a central role in Eni’s strategy to increase the use of domestic natural gas for energy security and as a low-emission source.
Argo Cassiopea’s reserves are estimated at around 353 billion cubic feet (10 billion cubic meters) of gas, with peak annual production expected to reach 53 billion cubic feet (1.5 billion cubic meters) of gas, the press release said.
Earlier this month, Italian energy company Plenitude, controlled by Eni SPA, signed a ten-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with a steel company to supply energy generated 100 percent from renewable sources.
Plenitude’s agreement with Ferriera Valsabbia covers the entire output of a 15 megawatt (MW) wind farm owned by Plenitude and located in the municipality of Sannicandro di Bari in Puglia, Italy.
The energy generated by the plant, which will amount to more than 350 gigawatt hours (GWh) over its entire operating life, will help meet the energy needs of Ferriera Valsabbia’s plants from September, Eni said in an earlier press release.
Ferriera Valsabbia is a steel company based in Odolo in the Italian province of Brescia. It specializes in the production of reinforcing steel for reinforced concrete. The final product is produced by melting scrap iron in an electric arc furnace and contains more than 95 percent recycled material. With this agreement, Ferriera Valsabbia is further reducing its environmental impact by significantly increasing the use of energy from renewable sources, the press release states.
Last month, Plenitude inaugurated the 50 MW Villanueva II solar power plant in Torrejoncillo del Rey, Cuenca, Spain. The park covers an area of almost 100 hectares and is connected to the national transmission grid at the Villanueva de los Escuderos junction through the Torrejoncillo del Rey substation and a 28-kilometer high-voltage line.
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