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The project
The “Carlo Bobbio" hydroelectric power plant at Isola Serafini
The hydroelectric plant named after Carlo Bobbio, the architect who oversaw its construction, is located in the municipality of Monticelli D'Ongina (in the province of Piacenza). It is a run-of-river power plant and the largest engineering work of its kind in Italy. It went into operation in 1962, with the purpose of producing energy and improving navigability along the River Po between Piacenza and Cremona. It takes advantage of the drop created by a dam on the Po near Isola Serafini (literally, Serafini Island), the largest island in the river basin.
Technology
Hydroelectric
Status
Operational
Operating Capacity
90 MW
Energy production:
484.39 GWh per year
CO2 emissions avoided
290,634 tons per year
Energy needs met
161,463 households per year
Timeline
Milestone
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Impact on local communities
Between 2011 and 2018, work started on the new Isola Serafini lock. It is the only one on the River Po and the most important in Italy on account of the difference in height between the water on either side of the dam. The new navigation lock, in addition to improving water transportation locally, is also an important tool for the economic and commercial development of the Po Valley. Furthermore, the basin helps promote river tourism, in the form of the numerous artistic, cultural, food and wine itineraries and the existing and planned bicycle and pedestrian routes along the entire river.
The power plant also plays an important role in cleaning the river's waters and is part of initiatives launched by the Po River Basin Authority to protect the river ecosystem. Since May 2022, it has hosted the “Adopt a Sturgeon" project to encourage the repopulation of the river with the Adriatic sturgeon - scientific name Acipenser naccarii Bonaparte. This is also thanks to the involvement of secondary schools in the provinces of Piacenza, Lodi and Cremona, as well as the University of Parma.