Retina is ready to build the plants in two periods, by mid-2026: they will produce not only biomethane, but also fertilisers and Co2 for industrial purposes
The company Retina is preparing to build 21 biomethane production plants in southern Italy, between Lazio and Campania. It is a total investment of EUR 600 million and a project that aims not only to produce natural gas from biomass, but also to reduce the pollution of agricultural land and surface water.
The plants will all benefit from the Pnrr incentives and will therefore be ready by the end of 2026 at the latest. The project should also help Italy meet certain European nitrate standards.
21 biomethane plants for the South
The Retina plants will be built in two periods .The first 9 will come into operation between November 2025 and March 2026:
- Velletri (Roma);
- Pontinia (Latina);
- Terracina (Latina);
- Sessa Aurunca (due impianti, Caserta);
- Pignataro Maggiore (due impianti, Caserta);
- Pietravairano (Caserta);
- Dragoni (Caserta).
The value of this first investment is around EUR 300 million. In the following months, as many more will be added to build similar plants still in Lazio and Campania, as well as in Puglia e in Molise. Work will start in April 2026, with the aim of meeting the schedule of the NRP and closing the construction sites by 30 June.
This is one of the first major investments in biomethane in the South. Traditionally, this technology in Italy has in fact been developed in the north, supporting large farms in the Po Valley.
All Retina partners
The Retina holding company, which has taken over the construction of these plants, will have several partners for these projects. 300 million euros will come from investments by Actarus Renewables, an investment fund focused on renewables, Eren Industries, an industrial group specialising in green technologies, and Macquarie Capital, an Australian investment bank.
Another EUR 240 million will come from a group of European banks, including Bnp Paribas, Ing Bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, Société Générale, and UniCredit. These funds have been backed by Sace's Archimede guarantee to support infrastructure and production investments.
Biomethane and more, what the plants will produce
The plants will collect agricultural and livestock waste from southern regions. By means of a coupled aerobic and anaerobic process, they will utilise the biomass to produce various derivatives from the fermentation of organic material:
- biomethane, which will be automatically fed into the grid;
- carbon dioxide, which can be used for industrial purposes;
- organic fertilisers.
According to Retina CEO Franco Torra, each plant will produce 4.2 million cubic metres of methane per year. In total, therefore, when fully operational, the plants are expected to produce just over 88 million standard cubic metres of methane. This is 0.14% of Italy's annual natural gas consumption, which amounts to approximately 61 billion cubic metres.
This increase in biomethane production is an important contribution to the goals of the Pniec, the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan, which envisages that Italy will produce 5.7 billion cubic metres of natural gas from biomass by 2030. In 2024, however, production stood at one-tenth of this target, five years before the deadline.
Help with nitrates
The project should also help reduce surface and deep water pollution caused by nitrates. Italy has already been reprimanded by the European Union for its failure to implement the 1991 Nitrates Directive.
"Our platform of plants can offer correct treatment in critical areas such as Campania. Not to mention that the biomethane and Co2 produced and intended for human use are prevented from being dispersed into the environment," said Riccardo Paganelli, founder of Actarus Renewables.
Fonte articolo: Quifinanza
Foto: Ansa
