Neoen has inaugurated its first solar farm in Italy, a 7.4 MWp facility located in the municipality of Arena Po in Lombardy, marking a significant entry point for the French renewable energy producer into the Italian market as it pursues a broader 2.3 GW development pipeline across the country.

A Milestone Opening in Lombardy

The Arena Po solar farm began injecting electricity into the grid at the start of 2026 and is now described as fully operational. Its expected annual production of 11.9 GWh is equivalent to the energy consumption of 8,000 people, and the facility is projected to avoid nearly 3,300 tonnes of CO₂ emissions each year.

The inauguration was formally announced in Brescia, where Neoen maintains one of its Italian offices alongside locations in Modena, Rome, and Milan. The project is part of a ten-year power purchase agreement signed between Neoen and digital infrastructure company Equinix in November 2024.

That agreement covers a portfolio of solar projects in northern Italy, all situated close to Equinix's data centers in Milan and Genoa, and totals 53 MW of contracted capacity. Arena Po is the first of those projects to reach full operation.

Structure and Scope of the Equinix Agreement

The 53 MW PPA is structured as a portfolio approach rather than a single-asset contract, a design that the two companies say supports the development of new renewable energy capacity and contributes to Italy's National Energy and Climate Plan targets for 2030.

The agreement represents the first PPA between Neoen and Equinix on Italian soil, though the two companies have collaborated on energy procurement across Europe for several years.

Across the continent, this Italian deal is the fifth PPA the two companies have signed, bringing their total contracted capacity together to 210 MW. Among those earlier agreements is a ten-year PPA in Finland, signed in January 2023, under which Equinix will offtake 60 percent of the energy generated by Neoen's 105 MW Storbötet wind farm. With Arena Po now delivering power, Neoen is supplying Equinix with energy in three countries.

Equinix's Renewable Energy Commitments

Emanuela Grandi, Managing Director of Equinix Italy, framed the Arena Po inauguration within the company's wider environmental strategy. She noted that Equinix's Italian operations are already covered by 100 percent renewable energy and said the project reinforces the company's stated ambition of achieving 100 percent renewable energy coverage globally by 2030.

Grandi also pointed to the role of artificial intelligence in driving increased demand for digital infrastructure, describing the Neoen partnership as part of the company's effort to minimize its environmental impact while expanding its data center footprint in Italy.

"As AI drives unprecedented demand for digital infrastructure, our partnership with Neoen reflects our commitment to minimizing our environmental impact and supporting our customers' climate goals," Grandi said.

She added that the project enables Equinix to expand in Italy while contributing directly to the country's decarbonization efforts and adding new clean generation capacity to local grids.

Neoen's Growing Italian Footprint

For Neoen, Arena Po is the opening chapter of what the company describes as an ambitious national program. Its total capacity in operation or under construction in Italy currently stands at 120 MW, and the company says it is actively developing a 2.3 GW pipeline of solar and battery storage projects across the country.

Neoen has positioned itself as seeking to become a key player in Italy and a significant contributor to the country's renewable energy development. Andrea Bartolini and Daniele Lucchi, who serve as Co-Managing Directors of Neoen Italy, said in a joint statement that Arena Po is "the first of many to come" and expressed gratitude to partners involved in bringing the project to completion.

They described the energy supply to Equinix as competitively priced clean energy intended to support the digital infrastructure company's growth. Louis de Sambucy, Regional CEO Europe for Neoen, said the inauguration demonstrated that data center growth and renewable energy could advance in parallel.

"This milestone is a testament to the excellence of the team in Italy and to the strength of our collaboration with Equinix, to whom we are now delivering energy in 3 countries," he said.

Italy as a Renewable Energy Battleground

The Arena Po inauguration takes place against the backdrop of Italy's National Energy and Climate Plan, which sets targets for renewable energy capacity through 2030.

The Neoen-Equinix portfolio PPA is explicitly cited by both companies as a vehicle for contributing to those national targets, with all contracted projects located in northern Italy.

The geographic concentration of the portfolio near Equinix's Milan and Genoa facilities is a deliberate feature of the agreement's design, intended to align energy generation with the locations of the data centers consuming it.

Neoen's Italian operations span four cities, reflecting the scale of organizational investment the company has made in the market. The 2.3 GW development pipeline of solar and battery storage projects signals that the company expects Arena Po to be followed by a substantial volume of further capacity in the years ahead.

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