Enel Media Relations
Tel. +39 06 8305 5699
Fax +39 06 8305 3771
Email: ufficiostampa@enel.it
Sharp Corporation
Corporate Public Relations Division
22-22 Nagaike-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka (545-8522),
Japan
Tel: +81-6-6621-1221
STMicroelectronics Media Relations
Tel: +41 22 929 6945
e-mail: mariagrazia.prestini@st.com
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ENEL
GREEN POWER, SHARP AND STMICROELECTRONICS
SIGN
AGREEMENT FOR THE LARGEST PHOTOVOLTAIC-PANEL MANUFACTURING PLANT IN
ITALY
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Enel Green Power, Sharp and
STMicroelectronics join forces to produce innovative thin-film
photovoltaic panels.
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The plant, located in Catania,
Italy, is expected to have initial production capacity of 160 MW per year
and is targeted to grow to 480 MW over the next
years.
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In addition, Enel Green Power
and Sharp will jointly develop solar farms focusing on the Mediterranean
area, with a total installed capacity at a level of 500 MW, by the end of
2016.
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Geneva, January 4, 2010 –
Today, Enel Green Power, Sharp and STMicroelectronics signed an agreement for
the manufacture of triple-junction thin-film photovoltaic panels in Italy. At
the same time, Enel Green Power and Sharp signed a further agreement to jointly
develop solar farms.
Today's
agreement regarding the photovoltaic panel factory follows the Memorandum of
Understanding signed in May 2008 by Enel Green Power and Sharp.
STMicroelectronics has joined this strategic partnership.
This
agreement marks the first time that three global technology and industrial
powerhouses have joined together in an equal partnership to contribute their
unique value-add to the solar industry. It brings together Enel Green Power,
with its international market development and project management know-how;
Sharp, and its exclusive triple-junction thin-film technology, which will be
operational in the mother plant in Sakai, Japan as of spring 2010; and
STMicroelectronics, with its manufacturing capacity, skills and resources in
highly advanced, hi-tech sectors such as microelectronics.
The
factory, located in Catania in the existing M6 facility to be contributed by
STMicroelectronics, is expected to have an initial production capacity of 160 MW
per year. The plant’s capacity is targeted to be gradually increased to 480 MW
per year over the next years and right from its start will represent the single
most important production facility for solar panels in Italy. Photovoltaic panel
manufacturing at the Catania plant is expected to start at the beginning of
2011.
The
project of 160 MW will require a total investment of 320 Million euros and will
be funded by a combination of equity, state grants and project financing with no
recourse to the Joint Venture’s shareholders beyond their quota in the Joint
Venture. Each partner will subscribe one third of the equity – an expected
contribution up to 70 million Euros each, either in cash or in-kind - and will
hold one third of the shares in the new Joint Venture Company.
The
factory output will be used to serve the most attractive solar markets in the
EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region with a particular focus on the
Mediterranean area. In this region, Enel Green Power and Sharp already have
important sales networks and also plan to jointly develop solar farms. Enel.si,
the Enel Green Power company specializing in the installation of photovoltaic
systems in the retail market, will also participate in the marketing effort,
offering panels directly and through its franchisee network of over 500
qualified installers in Italy.
Enel
Green Power and Sharp have signed an additional agreement aimed at the creation
of an equal joint venture to develop solar farms. The goal is to install
cumulative capacity at a level of 500 MW by the end of 2016, making use of the
photovoltaic panels manufactured at the Catania factory. The effectiveness of the
agreements signed by the parties is conditional upon the clearance released by
the relevant authorities concerned.
Triple-junction
thin-film photovoltaic panels are particularly suitable for medium and
large-scale photovoltaic power generation. Compared to ordinary silicon solar
panels, the triple-junction thin-film photovoltaic modules are able to maintain
a very high level of energy conversion efficiency even in very hot climates.
Thanks to their lower silicon content, these modules are also less exposed to
raw silicon price volatility.
Catania
represents an ideal location as it takes full advantage of an existing
semiconductor plant and related facilities as well as of very important
workforce skilled in silicon-based manufacturing. In addition, Catania hosts
Conphoebus, an Enel research center fully dedicated to renewable sources, solar
in particular, and energy savings. Moreover, Sicily is one of the key regions in
the Mediterranean area for the development of solar farms and provides a unique
location for all logistics necessary to reach the neighboring
markets.
About
Enel and Enel Green Power
Enel is Italy’s largest power
company, and second among Europe’s listed utilities by installed capacity. It is
an integrated player which produces, distributes and sells electricity and gas.
Further to the acquisition of the Spanish utility Endesa, Enel has now a
presence in 23 countries with over 96,000 MW of net installed capacity and
serves 60.8 million power and gas customers.
Enel Green Power is the Enel
Group company dedicated to developing and managing energy generation from
renewable sources in Italy and abroad. It operates some 4,700 MW in plants
relying on hydro, wind, geothermal, solar and biomass sources in 14 countries in
Europe
and the
Americas. With over 17 billion kWh produced annually, Enel Green Power is a
world leader in the renewable energy sector.
For more information please visit
Enel’s website www.enel.com and Enel Green Power’s web site at
www.enelgreenpower.com
About
Sharp
Since its
founding in 1912, Sharp has developed numerous world-first and Japan-first
products, including the first Japan-made radios, TVs, the world’s first
all-transistor/diode desktop calculator. Sharp has contributed to society by
commercializing these unique products.
Today, in
addition to its core LCD TV business, Sharp is also focusing on its solar cell
business. This year marks 50 years since Sharp first started researching solar
cells. Over this long period of time, solar cells made by Sharp have been used
not only in residential and industrial applications, but also on lighthouses and
satellites, thus proving their long-term reliability. Sharp is now pressing
ahead with constructing one of the world’s largest solar cell production
facilities for thin-film solar cells at Sakai City in Osaka Prefecture, which is
scheduled to begin mass production by March 2010.
Sharp
Corporation employs 59,100 people in the world (as of October 31, 2009) and
recorded consolidated annual sales of 2,847,227 million yen for the fiscal year
ended March 31, 2009.
For more
information, please visit Sharp’s Web site at
http://sharp-world.com/index.html
About
STMicroelectronics
STMicroelectronics
is a global leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics
applications with innovative semiconductor solutions. STMicroelectronics aims to
be the undisputed leader in multimedia convergence and power applications
leveraging its vast array of technologies, design expertise and combination of
intellectual property portfolio, strategic partnerships and manufacturing
strength. In 2008, the Company’s net revenues were $9.84 billion.
For more
information, please visit STMicroelectronics’s web site at
www.st.com