WEPA and Renovit Establish Smart Community with University of Cassino, Italy

The new combined heat, power and cooling plant installed by Renovit (Snam-CDP Equity) at the WEPA Group paper production plant will also supply the university's heating and cooling systems.

The new energy efficiency platform Renovit, a subsidiary of Snam and part-owned by CDP Equity, together with the WEPA Group, one of Europe's leading players in the paper industry, has initiated a project for energetically upgrading the WEPA plant in Cassino in the province of Frosinone by establishing a smart community with the nearby University of Cassino, one of the promoters of the initiative.

"By collaborating in this way we help reduce the energy and environmental impact of a major Italian production site and, together with WEPA, create the very first smart community south of Rome. It's a perfect example of Renovit's approach to support companies on their path towards carbon neutrality: by promoting their own energy generation at the place of its consumption and by simultaneously upgrading the infrastructure for the benefit of the surrounding communities," stated Cristian Acquistapace, Renovit managing director.

"As WEPA, we are exceedingly committed to the efficient supply of energy to our plants. We are pleased that the solution we are implementing brings benefits to all involved – the company of Renovit, local training and education facilities and us at WEPA. This is a groundbreaking example of cooperation and so far unique in Italy," explained Bernhard Gross, managing director, WEPA Italia.

The project is being implemented and financed by Renovit Group through its subsidiaries TEP Energy Solution and Mieci. TEP benefits from 15 years of experience with energy efficiency in the paper sector, while Mieci has been cooperating with public institutions in the management of integrated energy and technology services since 1998.

The project concerns the construction of a high-efficiency combined heat, power and cooling plant in connection with a district heating and cooling network to supply users outside the perimeter of the paper mill. With a capacity of 7 MW and production of approximately 48 million kWh per year, the plant will generate electricity, steam and hot water so that its entire steam and electricity requirements will be covered and tapping from the power grid is essentially reduced to zero. At the same time the university campus, which is connected to the electricity grid, will be able to use the surplus hot and cold water for supplying the heating and cooling systems of its own buildings.

This autumn the cooperation between the two companies will also lead to the energy upgrade of another WEPA plant in Italy, the Salanetti plant in Lucca – Renovit will be installing a solar system on the roof of the main building. With around 5,000 modules installed on 11,000 square metres, the WEPA system will be the largest photovoltaic installation in the Lucca area and will meet a quarter of the location's energy needs.

With around 20,000 employees nationwide, the paper industry is an important industrial sector in Italy. WEPA employs around 500 people in its two plants in Lucca and Cassino

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