The design for the new village in the Veneto Region, presented jointly with ENEL
From Enel power plant to an innovative and sustainable open-air tourist village: this is the future of the Porto Tolle plant, presented in June at Palazzo Balbi in Venice in front of the President of the Veneto Region, Luca Zaia, Enel's managing director, Francesco Starace, Human Company's managing director, Marco Galletti, and the Mayor of Porto Tolle, Roberto Pizzoli. Based on the principles of circular economy and sustainability, the plant will offer the region an opportunity for development, thanks to the "Delta Farm" project, with the creation of an innovative tourist resort hosting 8,000 guests a day and bringing together nature, sport and local excellence.
Combining biodiversity and local excellence and with a total planned investment of around €60 million, the village will be built by Human Company – a Florentine group with a leading role in Italy's open-air sector – and will occupy an area of 110 hectares, 20 of them woodland, with accommodation areas intended for different types of open-air hospitality, from camping pitches to latest-generation mobile homes. The main attractions include a multi-functional sports centre, with an area for watersports, and spaces dedicated to wellness through activity routes, sensory experiences and regenerating workouts. The region will also play a starring role, thanks to a visitor centre promoting the wonderful environment and landscapes and one for developing typical fish and agricultural production, accompanied by a high-class food offering with a focus on local specialities. The village will also be open to local entrepreneurs, who can participate with their own activities. Focusing on eco-sustainability, innovation, regional development and the ability to attract international tourist flows, "Delta Farm" embraces Human Company's outdoor hospitality values and forms part of the Group's development and expansion plan, with direct and indirect opportunities for the region and an average of around 8,000 tourists expected per day.
The proposal to revitalise the site of the former Porto Tolle power plant is part of the Futur-e programme and was identified by Enel through a project competition that actively involved the region and the academic world, with the aim of selecting solutions for the area's future in line with the needs and expectations of the local community. With the signing of the preliminary sales agreement, the steps to make the project a reality are coming to life. In the immediate future, further environmental activities will begin, on top of those already carried out by Enel, and the detailed plan for all the preparatory work to create "Delta Farm" will be finalised. Selective demolitions will take place, involving only those facilities which are not functional to the new activities, from a circular economy perspective. The sites will operate in parallel with the construction activities to save time, with the aim of opening "Delta Farm" for the 2023 tourist season.
"The solution that's been found to give new life to the Porto Tolle power plant is a concrete demonstration of how we can create value through projects that focus on sustainability," commented Francesco Starace, CEO of Enel. "Thanks to Futur-e, the site of an industrial plant that has actively participated in the life and history of the local community, and much more besides, is once more becoming a starting point for new opportunities and development potential. A result that can only be achieved by tracing a shared path and working as a team, like we have with the Region, Municipality and Human Company, destined to continue in the coming years for the benefit of the region and the country".
"We are enthusiastic about this signing and this major investment that lets us pursue our development goals by converting a UNESCO heritage area like Porto Tolle into a real tourist destination," commented Marco Galletti, CEO of Human Company. "Not only this, but creating jobs for the local community and a substantial economic impact makes us even prouder to be the driving force, together with Enel, behind this great project".