Italy gave its consent yesterday to the Vatican's plans to turn a 430-hectare plot of land north of Rome, a source of mutual disputes in the past, into a huge solar farm, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
The Holy See hopes to produce enough electricity there to meet its needs and make the Vatican the first country in the world with zero carbon emissions.
The agreement envisages the development of the "Santa Maria Galleria" plot to preserve the agricultural use of the land and minimize the impact on the environment in the area, the Vatican said in a statement.
No further details were given. The Holy See will be exempt from paying taxes to Italy on the import of solar panels for the solar farm, but it will not benefit from the financial incentives that Italians enjoy when they switch to solar power.
For its part, Italy can use the Vatican solar farm to count towards the EU's clean energy goals. Any excess electricity produced by the solar farm that exceeds the Vatican's needs will be provided to the local community, Holy See officials said.