Renewable energy developer Zelestra has started full commercial operations at its 6.5-megawatt direct current Ginosa solar plant in Puglia, southern Italy, backed by a long-term power purchase agreement with BKW Energy, the company said.
Zelestra said the project supported around 50 jobs during construction and marks its first fully operational asset in Italy, where it is developing a portfolio of more than 1.4 gigawatts of solar and battery storage projects.
The Ginosa agrivoltaic facility forms part of a wider collaboration with BKW that also includes the 9.5-MWdc Bellomo project in Modica, Sicily.
The Ginosa plant is expected to generate about 11.7 gigawatt hours of electricity annually, enough to power roughly 4,000 Italian homes, while avoiding nearly 3,700 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year, Zelestra said.
“This successful operationalization clearly demonstrates how strong partnerships help bring more renewable energy into the system,” said Bianca Sarbu, head of trading and origination at BKW. “Together with Zelestra, BKW is creating the future of clean energy in Italy and accelerating the transition toward a more sustainable power mix.”
Zelestra’s Italy chief executive Eliano Russo said the company plans to accelerate its buildout in the country.
“2026 will be another year of major expansion for Zelestra in Italy, and fully energizing our first solar project is the perfect catalyst for the growth journey ahead,” Russo said.
“We are now focused on doubling our 1.4 GW pipeline this year, completing the Bellomo agrivoltaics project, and starting construction on many further projects that we secured contracts for last year in the FER X auctions,” he added.
Zelestra recently closed its first green financing agreement in Italy for around 13 million euros linked to the Ginosa and Bellomo projects. In December 2025, the company secured contracts for nine projects in Italy’s FER X auctions, enabling up to 168 MW of new solar capacity, and also announced an initial offtake agreement for a 2-GWh battery storage project in northern Italy, which it described as one of Europe’s largest.
