Image: Protezione Civile Lungavilla

A powerful storm has destroyed a ground-mounted photovoltaic system in the municipality of Verretto, located in the northern Italian province of Pavia, according to the country’s Civil Protection Department.

Civil Protection teams reported arriving on-site around 6 p.m. on Aug. 28, during an intervention nearby. “From the outside, we saw that it was completely destroyed,” they said. The system is owned by Sondrio-based Bissi Holding.

According to the company’s website, the 3.18 MW solar park was developed as part of an environmental restoration project on a degraded quarry site. Built on a 12-hectare area at the former Cava Coppa quarry, the installation featured 12,496 solar panels, designed to generate 4 million kWh annually.

The storm began around 2:30 p.m., damaging the solar site and local power lines. “We found plants that also severed Enel’s cables,” noted the Lungavilla Civil Protection Department. The Italian utility later deployed a generator to restore service.

Local media reported that residents experienced several hours of power outages before electricity was restored at 9 p.m. Civil Protection has since confirmed that the situation is back to normal.