Florence will soon inaugurate its second urban hydroelectric plant on the Arno River, located at the San Niccolò weir. The plant follows the Isolotto facility, opened in early 2024, and completes the city’s renewable energy project on the river.
The wider plan involves refurbishing 13 weirs between Incisa Valdarno and Lastra a Signa. Twelve turbines are being installed, with capacity to generate 55 gigawatt-hours of electricity each year. This is enough to supply around 20,000 households, covering about 25% of Florence’s energy needs. The project has required an investment of 80 million euros.
The San Niccolò hydroelectric plant site also brings ecological and cultural upgrades. Fish protection measures have been introduced, and the riverside terrace dedicated to Florentine singer-songwriter Riccardo Marasco has been improved. A planned Water Museum, to be set up in the former aqueduct buildings near the weir, will add to the area’s appeal for residents and visitors.
Marasco is remembered for his ironic ballad on the Arno flood, a disaster that devastated Florence in 1966. Thousands of artworks and historic buildings were damaged when the river overflowed. The new plant underlines a sharp contrast: the same river that once caused destruction is now central to Florence’s ecological transition.
