Edison's firsts
Share
Intro
EUROPE'S FIRST THERMAL POWER PLANT
Santa Radegonda
On 26 December 1883, the Santa Radegonda power plant, Europe's first, went into operation in Milan and began the electrification of Italy. It was on this occasion that La Scala Theatre was lit up for the first time with light generated by the power station, extended throughout the city of Milan in the years that followed.
Renewable energy
The development of renewable energy has always been a priority in the company's history, ever since its foundation.
The first renewable energy project dates back to 1898, with the building of the Paderno sull'Adda Hydroelectric Power Plant. It became the world’s second largest hydroelectric power plant in terms of the amount of power generated, surpassed only by the American plant at Niagara Falls.
1951 saw the inauguration of the Santa Giustina Dam, to this day Europe's highest dam, in Trentino Alto-Adige.
2019 marked another important milestone: Edison became Italy's second largest wind power operator, ranking among the top European producers.
Energy security
Edison has also distinguished itself over the decades in the field of national energy security, standing out among major players as a leader in the evolution of the European energy system. 1964 marked an important step for the country's energy and industrial development with the construction of Enrico Fermi Nuclear Power Plant in Trino Vercellese (VC), comprising the world's most powerful enriched uranium reactor. Edison confirmed its role as the driving force behind the Italian energy system and its technological evolution. 1987 saw the discovery of the most important oil field in the Italian Mediterranean with construction of the Vega offshore platform off Pozzallo (RG).
In 1992, the first two combined cycle units in Italy were built in Porto Marghera, near Venice. In 2022, Edison inaugurated its new IGB Poseidon pipeline, built as a joint venture with Greece's Depa to bring gas from Greece and Bulgaria to the Italian coast and the rest of Europe, confirming its position as one of the continent's leading gas importers. In 2023, following a massive renovation project, the Marghera Levante power plant became Italy’s most efficient combined cycle power plant and one of the most efficient in the world.
Energy in people's daily lives
Energy plays a vital role in people's daily lives. This is another area in which Edison leads the way, with a number of key dates, beginning in 1923 with the founding of Fargas, which was to become the market leader in production of gas cookers and domestic and industrial appliances.
In the year 1932 the first model of a modern electrified house was exhibited at MoMa, featuring electrical appliances and plastic materials made by Edison's subsidiary companies.
Another important innovation is undoubtedly the IME64, the world's first transistorised electronic calculator, launched in 1964 by Industria Macchine Elettroniche, an Edison subsidiary at the time.
