Italy Approved the Vatican's Plan for Solar Energy

• The Vatican plans to create solar energy to meet its own electricity needs.
• The agreement for the development of the territory must be approved by the Italian parliament.
• The project is estimated to cost up to 100 million euros and must preserve agricultural land use.

Italy has agreed to the Vatican's plan, which involves the transformation of a 430-hectare area to the north of Rome into a large solar energy facility. This project aims to satisfy the Vatican's energy needs and make it the first carbon-neutral state in the world.

The agreement was signed by the Vatican's Minister for Relations, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, and the Italian Ambassador to the Holy See, Francesco Di Nitto. Now the agreement must be approved by the Italian parliament, as this territory has extraterritorial status.

The site of Santa Maria Galleria has been a supercharged generator through electromagnetic waves, which have been emitted by the Vatican Radio since the 1950s. Previously, it was an agricultural locality, but with the development of the territory, residents began to complain about health problems, including childhood leukemia, which were associated with electromagnetic waves.

Pope Francis last year instructed the Vatican to explore the possibility of developing this territory into solar energy, hoping to realize its commitment to transitioning to clean energy sources.

Pope Leo XIII assigned this territory in red and confirmed the intention to realize the vision of Francis. He actively supports ecological initiatives, utilizing new prayers and readings, inspired by the ecological encyclical of Pope Francis.

The agreement provides that the development of the territory will preserve agricultural land use and minimize impact on the surrounding environment, according to the Vatican's statement.

The Vatican estimates the value of the project's realization at 100 million euros. After the agreement is approved in Italy, it may be possible to announce trends on the execution of works.

In the 1990s, during the largest supercharge, residents appealed to the court on behalf of the Vatican Radio, asserting that emissions exceeded Italian legislative norms, but the court justified the transmitter. In 2012, the Vatican announced a reduction in transmission time from this territory, not due to health problems, but due to technological changes in internet transmissions.

Tags: Europe/Energy