VATICAN CITY: The Vatican plans to build a renewable energy plant combining solar power and agriculture that could make the Holy See fully energy self-sufficient within two years, according to sources involved in discussions on the project.

The roughly 100-million-euro (US$117 million) agrivoltaic plant is expected to have a capacity of 80 to 90 megawatts, making it one of Italy's largest installations of its kind, the sources said.

Agrivoltaic plants use solar panels mounted several meters above the ground, allowing crops to grow underneath. The shade can help reduce evaporation and protect plants from extreme weather.

A joint Italian-Vatican commission met earlier this month to launch the project at the Vatican-owned Santa Maria di Galeria estate on Rome's northwestern outskirts. Italy ratified a 2025 bilateral agreement this year to develop the site.

Officials disclosed no details about the project's cost, capacity or timeline after the meeting. However, sources involved in the discussions said construction, including permitting and administrative procedures, could take 18 to 24 months.

The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The roughly 450-hectare Santa Maria di Galeria estate has hosted Vatican Radio's transmission facilities since the 1950s. Tracking solar panels would cover about 200 hectares, or nearly half the site, one source said.

The plant is designed to provide electricity to Vatican Radio's transmission station and help make Vatican City State fully energy self-sufficient. Power could also be used by properties linked to the Holy See, including Rome's Bambino Gesù hospital, the sources said.

Any surplus electricity would be made available to Italy. The Vatican will not benefit from financial incentives offered to Italian households and businesses that install solar power.

The project was a priority for the late Pope Francis, the first pontiff to accept the scientific consensus on climate change, and has been endorsed by Pope Leo XIV.

The bilateral agreement between Italy and Vatican City extended to the agrivoltaic project the special status already granted to Vatican Radio facilities, including exemptions from Italian taxes and public charges.

Italy's ratification law states that implementing the agreement must not create any new or additional burden on public finances.

Contracts for work on the project are expected to be put out to tender in the coming weeks.

Vatican City, headquarters of the global Catholic Church and home to St. Peter's Basilica, is the world's smallest country, covering 108 acres and housing fewer than 900 residents.

The Vatican has previously invested in solar energy. In 2008, under Pope Benedict XVI, German companies SolarWorld and SMA Solar Technology donated 2,400 photovoltaic panels and equipment that were installed on top of the Nervi Hall, which hosts papal audiences and concerts.