The Energy Self-Production Programme is one of the main initiatives included in Leonardo's Sustainability Plan, a tangible sign of our commitment to support the development of 100% green energy sources.
The initiative is part of the broader framework of the Group's Energy Management model managed by Leonardo Global Solutions; it's in addition to the management, plant renewal/digitalisation of assets and energy procurement levers aimed at containing the Group's controllable costs.
Thanks to the Self-Production Programme, plants will structurally reduce their energy consumption from the external grid, limiting their CO2 emissions in support of the progressive decarbonisation objectives of Leonardo's industrial activities. The self-produced energy will contribute to the diversification of energy supply sources, a very topical issue at this time of strong market tension. We will give value to our industrial areas, supporting the growth of renewable generation in Italy without using “precious” land. We will support the energy business continuity of the sites, benefiting from the production of the plants at times of highest electrical load.
In 4 Leonardo pilot plants, photovoltaic systems with a capacity of about 6.6 MWp will be built by 2023, covering about 10% of the annual consumption of the sites concerned, avoiding the emission into the atmosphere of over 2,800 tonnes of CO2 per year. At the same time, phase 2 of the programme has already been launched, which includes a further 14 Group sites and for which technical inspections are currently underway for the plants’ dimensioning.
When fully operational, all Leonardo sites suitable to host photovoltaic installations will be involved, in order to maximise self-consumed energy from renewable sources and identify the final "full potential" of the installations. The applicability of long-term green supply contracts (PPAs), "virtually" connected to energy self-production plants built in Italy, will also be assessed on sites that can't physically host energy self-production plants.
The Self-Production Programme is an example of the initiatives designed and implemented by Leonardo Global Solutions for the benefit of Leonardo Divisions, combining environmental, energy and cost containment objectives, in line with the Sustainability strategy identified by Corporate.