German utility RWE has taken a final investment decision (FID) to build two new onshore wind farms in Italy with a total power generating capacity of 108MW.

The projects will entail an investment of €180m ($202.14m).

The San Severo and Mondonuovo wind farms will be located in the Apulia region and have both now received building permits.

The San Severo project in the San Severo municipality in the province of Foggia will have 54MW of installed capacity. It will be powered by 12 turbines, each with 4.5MW of capacity.

Construction will begin in the autumn of 2023 and commissioning is expected by the end of 2024.

The 54MW Mondonuovo wind farm will be powered by nine turbines, each with 6MW capacity.

To be located in the Mesagne municipality in the province of Brindisi, its construction will begin early in 2024 and commissioning will take place in mid-2025.

RWE Renewables Europe & Australia CEO Katja Wünschel stated: “We at RWE are excited to have two major onshore wind farms ready to be built in our key market, Italy. San Severo and Mondonuovo will make the best use of wind in Italy to drive forward the energy transition. This is a big step on our way to reaching 1GW of renewables capacity in Italy.”

In June 2023, the company announced plans to invest more than €50bn in the energy transition by 2030.

It aims to enhance its renewable power generation capacity, battery storage technologies and carbon-free back-up, and support the growth of the hydrogen economy.