Amazon and Nadara launch 277 MW agrivoltaic farm in Sicily

UK-based renewable energy company Nadara has switched on a 227 MW agrivoltaic solar farm in Sicily. The company describes the Big Fish project as the largest facility of its kind in Italy.

Construction of the plant was supported by a previously signed 156 MW power purchase agreement with Amazon. Nadara said the facility was built in just 12 months, involving more than 900 workers.

Project Location and Scale

The project is located in the province of Catania, roughly 40 kilometers from Mount Etna. It spans the municipalities of Catania, Lentini, and Motta Sant’Anastasia.

Covering approximately 400 hectares across 15 plots, the development dedicates about half of its area to agricultural activities. This dual-use approach is central to its agrivoltaic design.

Agricultural Integration and Environmental Measures

To accommodate farming beneath the arrays, the solar panels were installed at heights of up to 3 meters. Overhead cables were routed around the site's perimeter, and 14 wells were built or restored to provide irrigation.

Nadara implemented several environmental mitigation measures. These included planting 38,000 trees and performing maintenance along 2.5 kilometers of public waterways. Beehives installed at the site are expected to produce around 4.5 metric tons of honey annually.

Permitting and Additional Infrastructure

Regional approval documents show the project's environmental clearance included a 20 MW/40 MWh battery energy storage system. The environmental approval was granted in May 2023, with a final permit following in October 2023.

Subsequent approvals explicitly identified Big Fish as an agrivoltaic project. They noted it includes cover retention basins and hydraulic crossings. In September 2025, regional authorities certified the project's compliance with the conditions set in the 2023 approval.

Financial Impact and Corporate Context

Nadara estimates that local municipalities will receive at least €17.25 million over the project's operating life. This funding is earmarked for services and energy-efficiency measures. It will support infrastructure upgrades, monitoring systems for public buildings, and electric vehicles for municipal use.

Amazon, which has a goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, said it has now supported eight utility-scale solar projects in Italy. The company has also installed 32 solar systems at its own facilities in the country. According to Amazon, these 40 projects have a combined estimated capacity of 532 MW.

At 227 MW, the Big Fish project is slightly larger than another major agrivoltaic development in the same region. European Energy's 225.5 MW project in Vizzini, also in Catania province, began construction in May.