Italian EPC Company Venturing Into PV Manufacturing

• Comal will build a solar panel manufacturing facility in Italy's L'Aquila province 
• It won the tender under Next Apennino | Measure B1.2 – B3.3 to announce the €16.1 million factory 
• The company said this is a confirmation of its corporate evolution strategy 

Italy-based solar EPC & O&M company Comal has won a national tender, paving the way for the construction of a solar module factory to roll out Made-in-Italy high efficiency solar modules. The fab is planned to be located in the Province of L'Aquila. 

The total investment amounts to €16.1 million, of which €6.9 million is subsidized financing, €4.9 million plant contributions, €0.2 million direct contributions, and €4.1 million of bank financing, requested directly by Comal through a financial partner already identified, shared the EPC player. 

The company sees it contributing to reducing the country's energy dependence on foreign supplies for solar energy generation. Once fully operational, it will become an 'important piece' of the Italian solar PV value chain. The management did not identify the exact capacity of the plant, the deadline or the technology of the planned plant. 

It had been exploring the feasibility to start a production line for latest-generation solar panels since June 2022 when it initially revealed its plans. The management sees local, in-house solar panel production as insulating itself from supply chain challenges and, therefore, reducing logistics and customs related costs. It will also make the company autonomous and independent from international markets. 

Comal won the tender concluded under the Next Apennino | Measure B1.2 – B3.3, part of Italy's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), dedicated to the economic and social rebuilding of Central Italian regions impacted by the earthquakes of 2009 and 2016. 

"This important project is confirmation of our corporate evolution strategy, moving from pure EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) to a 360° player in the photovoltaic sector, allowing COMAL to be one of the few operators at European level fully integrated along the solar energy generation value chain," said Comal CEO Alfredo Balletti. 

In February 2022, Comal and Enel announced plans to build a 1 GW solar tracker manufacturing facility called Tracker Sun Hunter in Italy (see Solar Tracker Fab Announced In Italy).