Global energy demand is growing steadily and shows no signs of slowing. According to the World Energy Outlook report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), worldwide energy consumption will continue to rise in the coming decades, driven by industrial production growth, transport expansion, and the surge in energy use by data centers powering artificial intelligence. In this context of continuously rising global energy consumption, the ability to self-produce energy, particularly from renewable sources, is not only a matter of operational efficiency, but a fundamental strategic lever for a company’s solidity and resilience.
Unigrà adopted this strategy thirty years ago. Today, at its Conselice Plant, the company operates an integrated energy production system comprising four operational units. By mid-2026, a new biomethane plant will be added, representing a further step toward the use of renewable energy sources.
Multiple plants, one energy ecosystem
It all began in 1995 with the methane cogeneration plant, built to meet the company’s need for large quantities of thermal energy in the form of steam. This was followed by the bioliquids plant, commissioned in 2008; the anaerobic digestion biogas plant, built in 2012; the photovoltaic plant, which came online in 2025; and, shortly, the new biomethane plant.
Each plant represents a key milestone in the company’s energy strategy.
Unigrà’s current Energy Plant is the result of decades of investment and long-term vision: from an initial response to a need, to the introduction of renewable sources, through to the valorization of production residues and biomethane production. These measures reduce reliance on fossil fuels, contributing to the adoption of a circular economy approach.
The methane cogeneration plant is the first step in an evolutionary journey still underway. In operation since 1995 and subsequently qualified as a high-efficiency plant, it consists of multiple units and ensures the production of both thermal and electrical energy. Total electrical capacity is approximately 20 MW, while thermal output reaches 75 tonnes of steam per hour.
The bioliquids plant, the first to be powered by renewable sources, has an electrical capacity of 58 MW and a thermal capacity of 4 MW. It produces electricity and heat using both production residues and vegetable oils certified under the SNC (Italy’s National Certification System for Bioliquid Sustainability). The SNC certification guarantees the sustainable origin of the biomass used, ensuring that the entire supply chain complies with national and international environmental and social standards.
The anaerobic digestion plant, built in late 2012, fully embodies the principles of the circular economy. It valorizes processing residues from the facility, converting them into biogas – composed of approximately 70% methane – which is then used to produce electrical energy (0.99 MW) and thermal energy (1 MWt). The plant transforms a production by-product into an energy resource, reducing the volume of waste generated.
The photovoltaic plant, which came online in 2025, has a capacity of 3 MW. Solar panels installed on the company’s rooftops increase renewable electricity generation from existing buildings. The introduction of this plant marked a further diversification of energy sources, reducing the carbon footprint even further.
The total electrical energy produced by the plants exceeds the facility’s own electricity requirements, and the surplus is fed directly into the national grid.
The biomethane plant: obtaining methane from biogenic sources
The new biomethane plant, scheduled to enter production in 2026, represents a further step forward. This project will enhance biodigestion capacity and, consequently, biogas production. The biogas will then be purified through an upgrading section of the plant, capable of separating methane from impurities, to supply the facility with biomethane – methane of biological origin – meeting the highest quality standards. To realize this project, the existing biogas plant will be expanded, increasing the total number of digesters from 2 to 8.
Reading the numbers, the scale of the project speaks for itself: the plant will produce a total of 27 million Sm³ of biomethane per year, with an expected nominal output of 3,200 Sm³/hour. All biomethane produced will be allocated to self-consumption, enabling Unigrà to reduce its fossil methane requirements across its plants by nearly 40%. Furthermore, the use of methane from biogenic sources will deliver a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of over 80% compared to the use of an equivalent quantity of fossil methane.
This new plant will also enable Unigrà to implement an industrial symbiosis strategy: the CO₂ isolated and liquefied during the upgrading process can be reused in food and carbonated beverage production.
Circular economy: the foundation of the sustainability strategy
The evolution of Unigrà’s energy production highlights its energy strategy and the path the company has taken toward the circular economy. This strategy is built on clear principles: valorizing by-products from industrial processing, generating electricity and heat for self-consumption, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, cutting CO₂ emissions across the supply chain, and creating value for the industrial ecosystem. These actions represent the pillars of circularity and a concrete response to the environmental challenges of our time.
In a time when the energy transition is often perceived as a distant goal, Unigrà demonstrates that it can be achieved through gradual actions with a long-term vision, one plant at a time.
