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Enel officially inaugurates Bagnore 4 plant in Tuscany, Italy

Enel officially inaugurates Bagnore 4 plant in Tuscany, Italy Inauguration Bagnore 4 geothermal plant, Tuscany/ Italy (source: Enel)
Alexander Richter 1 Aug 2016

Enel Green Power has officially inaugurated the 40 MW Bagnore 4 geothermal power plant near Mount Amiata in Tuscany, Italy. The plant started operation in late 2014.

Enel Green Power (EGP) has inaugurated its Bagnore 4 geothermal power plant in Tuscany, Italy. The plant started operation in 2014.

Today the central Tuscan portfolio of Enel – which make up the oldest geothermal complex in the world – is enriched with the opening of Bagnore 4 , one of the most technologically advanced systems globally.

The plant, near Mount Amiata between the towns of Santa Fiora and Arcidosso, has a total installed capacity of 40 MW, that flank the existing plant from 20 MW Bagnore 3, built in 1998. Bagnore 4 has a sophisticated active monitoring system, tele-diagnostics and adjustment of the wells, which prevents steam into the atmosphere spillage in case of stop of a production team. The control unit is also equipped with two AMIS (Mercury Abatement and hydrogen sulphide) and an innovative system for the removal of ammonia, operating at both Bagnore 3 that Bagnore 4.

The technological excellence of the Bagnore geothermal complex is entirely Italian, from the phase of exploration and drilling, construction – entirely made “material made in Italy” – to production and maintenance. About 130 people worked on the construction and the development of recent years has enabled Enel to employ up to 280 young people in the region in the period from 2010 until today. EGP is also engaged with local governments in a support and know-how transfer path for the emergence of local manufacturers highly specialized in the fields of mechanics and automation, with the goal of increasing employment and induced on geothermal territories .

The Bagnore 4 plant will also become a sort of open-air energy school , thanks to an innovative tourist trail that winds around the plant, and that will also involve Bagnore 3, to give citizens and visitors alike the opportunity to experience up close operation of power plants and the opportunities offered by the exploitation of the earth’s heat. Those interested can choose between two modes, both free: free visit without a guide or one led by EGP staff, ready to answer questions and curiosity of visitors.

The guided tour allows entry inside the center to learn more about the operation of the system, the engine room suppressants AMIS and ammonia, up to placing the electricity network and to the steam cooling process or district heating. In this case, it will be necessary to book via e-mail (visita.centrale.enel.bagnore4@enel.com) or contact the tourist office of the City of Santa Fiora (tel. 0564.977142).

The Santa Fiora administration has chosen to include a visit to the central municipal tourism offer, confirming the importance of geothermal energy not only for energy production but also as an environmental and tourist resource of the territory of Amiata.

Source: Enel