Enel X, the Enel Group’s company active in the areas of energy supply and efficiency, and Magaldi Group, a world leader in the field of ultra-high temperature material handling, which specializes in developing technologies that can be used to produce and store clean energy, presented this morning their collaboration on the ground-breaking MGTES (Magaldi Green Thermal Energy Storage) system, patented by Magaldi. Installed at the Magaldi Power plant in the ASI – Area di Sviluppo Industriale (Industrial Development Area) of the city of Salerno, Italy – MGTES is a battery powered by a photovoltaic plant that is able to store energy, which is then released in the form of high-temperature steam. The aim of the partnership is to integrate technology into industrial activities with a sustainable approach.
This initiative is part of the MoU signed by Enel X and Magaldi Power aimed at finding suitable sites and building Italy’s first plants to decarbonize thermal industrial processes. The following speakers took part in the presentation of the project: Cavaliere del Lavoro and President of Magaldi Group Mario Magaldi, Executive Vice-President of Magaldi Green Energy Letizia Magaldi, Head of Enel X Italia Augusto Raggi, Head of Innovability® at Enel X Fabio Tentori, General Manager of Magaldi Middle East and Global Development Massimiliano Masi, President of FICEI Antonio Visconti, and Piero Salatino from the University of Naples Federico II.
“Innovation and sustainability are key to decarbonization,” said Francesco Venturini, CEO of Enel X. “We have further proof of this now with the MGTES system, which breaks new ground in the field of energy storage, as it can ensure high levels of efficiency also in industrial processes that require high temperatures; this is made possible by an Italian technology that is backed by an Italian supply chain, and the impressive results achieved so far open up promising opportunities for development also outside of Italy.”
“The partnership with Enel X marks a major milestone and is in line with our company’s mission; in fact, for over 90 years, it has been constantly focused on innovation and on developing reliable and sustainable solutions for industries,” said Mario Magaldi, Cavaliere del Lavoro and President of Magaldi Group. “Specifically, MGTES technology offers a quick solution to the need to decarbonize industrial processes and to replace gas. Italy has the resources and know-how required to play a prominent role in the battery industry for energy storage, which is instrumental in producing renewable energy on a continuous basis, and in this way will help make the whole system stable and safe.”
Conceived and developed by Magaldi Group, MGTES, based on a fluidized sand bed (“sand batteries”), makes it possible to store energy from renewable sources, which is then released in the form of steam at high temperatures (between 120-400°C). This technology, which holds a global patent, will allow Enel X to supply its industrial customers with thermal energy in the form of steam at the desired temperatures and pressures, thereby reducing gas consumption and stabilizing the price of thermal energy. The first application will involve supplying green thermal energy to meet the energy needs of the food company IGI, a supplier of Ferrero Group, with headquarters in the Industrial Development Area of Buccino. It involves building a 5 MW photovoltaic plant and a 125 ton MGTES system with a daily storage capacity of 13 MWh of thermal energy. The MGTES system, which will become operational in the second half of 2024, is expected to reduce IGI’s total consumption by 20%, as well as saving up to 1,000 tons of CO2 annually, replacing them with renewable energy available throughout the day.
