Enel Green Power has commissioned a biomass power plantEnel Green Power has commissioned a biomass power plant at the Cornia 2 geothermal power plant in Tuscany, Italy.

Said to be the first-of-its-kind, the 5MW facility will be fuelled by locally sourced forest biomass to heat the geothermal steam.

This will increase the energy-efficiency and output of the geothermal cycle by more than 30GWh a year, while eliminating 13,000t of carbon dioxide.

Steam entering the power plant is heated to temperatures of up to 380°C, which will increase the net electricity generation capacity.

“The plant has almost zero impact on the environment, and maintains total renewability of the resource and the cycle.”

Enel Green Power CEO Francesco Venturini said: “The integration of different technologies is a major step forward for the future of renewable energy.”

The company has invested more than €15m in the biomass project, which will support the region with up to 40 direct and indirect jobs.

Enel said the plant has almost zero impact on the environment, and maintains total renewability of the resource and the cycle.

The company operates a stillwater facility in the US that integrates the generation capacity of binary cycle geothermal technology with solar thermodynamic, and the Fontes solar facility in Brazil, which combines solar photovoltaic with wind, and uses a standalone solar photovoltaic plant.

Enel Green Power develops projects based on renewable energy sources, with operations in Europe, the Americas and Africa.