Sorgenia has generating plants throughout Italy. The company has completed a program of remodernization of the powe plants of the investee Tirreno Power that are already in operation and has various new greenfield plants under constsruction (i.e plants built from scratch on greenfield land). In both cases the technology selected is that of the Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT), considered to be the solution available today that gives the highest yield and is most compatible with the environment. The first plant to be completely built by Sorgenia was the Termoli CCGT (CB), which started operating in 2006 and has an annual output of around 4 billion kilowatt hours (kWh), with carbon dioxide emissions 39% lower than the national average from thermoelectric generation. The second CCGT plant, located in Modugno (Bari) started operating in 2010. The third Sorgenia plant, situated in the Bertonico-Turano area (Lodi), will start operting commercially in the second half of 2010.
Sorgenia also has various renewable resource assets. The group’s growth plan for the next few years involves building new wind farms with a production capacity of 450 MW and installing 50 MW of photovoltaic plants in Italy, of which 13 MW are already in operation, and the construction of biomass plants for 40 MW. In December 2007 Sorgenia acquired Société Française d’Eoliennes, the number two wind energy operator in France. At the end of March 2008 the company Sorgenia Romania was set up in Bucharest with the aim of building, running and maintaining wind parks.
In the gas sector, Sorgenia is completing the authorization process to build a 12 billion cubic meter regasification terminal at Gioia Tauro (Calabria) through LNG Med Gas Terminal, a company 69.77% controlled by Fin Gas Srl, an equal share joint venture between Iride and Sorgenia.
In the exploration and production (E&P) sector Sorgenia E&P, 100% controlled by Sorgenia SpA, was set up in the first half of 2008. The company owns hydrocarbon licenses in North Sea, Bulgaria adn Colombia.
The main strategic drivers of the business plan of the Sorgenia group are client focus and sustainable growth. The objectives of the plan for 2003-2012, with investments in new capacity of approximately 4.2 billion euro (opf which 2.7 billion disbursed and planned and 1.5 billion forecast) are as follows:
- to consolidate its role as prime operator in the free energy market
- to have over 5.3 GW of generating capacity through the following:
- Four greenfield CCGT plants (each with an output of approximately 770-800 MW) plus its share of the output of Tirreno Power (the Sorgenia Group has an entitlement of approx. 1.2 GW) for a total of approximately 4.3 GW
- The development of 920 MW of wind generating capacity (of which 450 MW are to be in Italy). The Group expects to increase its wind generating capacity even further, reaching 1,100 MW of installed capacity by 2015
- The installation of 50 MW of photovoltaic plants
