Sonnedix wins contracts for 805 MW of solar capacity in Italy

MILAN, ‌Dec 16 (Reuters) - JP Morgan-backed renewable energy company Sonnedix has ‍secured contracts ‌for 805 megawatts of solar capacity in Italy under three ⁠government-sponsored schemes, it said ‌on Tuesday.

Considered easier to develop than wind projects due to the Mediterranean country's geographical characteristics, solar power is playing a central role in ⁠the energy transition in Italy, which has emerged as one of Europe's ​leading producers of the clean energy.

Sonnedix, which already ‌has over 900 MW ⁠of capacity in Italy, said the new contracts will expand its existing pipeline of renewable projects and support its goal ​of supplying clean electricity to industrial customers.

It won the bulk of the capacity – 670 MW across nine solar sites – in the auction completed by Italy's energy services agency in ​early ‍December under an incentive ​scheme known as FER X.

It also secured 125 MW under the so-called "Energy Release Mechanism", which aims to give incentives for high-energy-consuming companies to switch to renewable sources. It won an additional 10 MW through a tender reserved for solar projects ⁠built without equipment manufactured in China.

Italy awarded 7.7 gigawatts of solar capacity in total through ​the FER X auction and an additional 1.1 GW in its first tender for projects built without Chinese components.

Sonnedix currently operates renewable projects worth 12 GW ‌globally, with nearly 1 GW under construction and a development pipeline exceeding 6.7 GW.

(Reporting by Francesca Landini; Editing by Joe Bavier)