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Solar PVItalyEIR-0442

Suspected arson fire destroys panels at Viddalba solar plant, Sardinia

Sept 2025Published 7 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantOtherProvisional
Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
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out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
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Where
Viddalba solar plant, Sardinia, Italy
Operator
Avru
What
Photovoltaic system of around 5,000 panels caught fire
Response
Sassari fire department worked for several hours from around 4 a.m.
Cause
Suspected arson

Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Avru

What happened

A photovoltaic system of around 5,000 panels caught fire at the Viddalba solar plant in Sardinia, Italy, in the early hours of 8 September 2025. Surveillance cameras reportedly captured two people exiting a car and deliberately setting fire to the solar panels. The Sassari fire department confirmed the incident and said its personnel worked for several hours from around 4 a.m. to extinguish the flames. The plant is owned and operated by Avru. Police are investigating the fire as suspected arson. Local renewable energy associations described it as part of a pattern of hostility towards renewable projects in the region.

Contributing factors

Sources report the fire followed deliberate ignition by two individuals captured on surveillance footage, in what local associations characterised as an act of hostility towards renewable energy development in the area.

Lessons learned

  1. Surveillance at solar PV sites must cover access roads and panel arrays to capture vehicle and person movements before ignition.
  2. PV panel fires require extended fire service attendance, so operators should pre-plan water supply and access routes for rural sites.
  3. Sites in regions with documented hostility to renewables need perimeter barriers and remote monitoring beyond standard fencing.

More lessons on fire suppression and firefighting, theft, arson and site security, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Exact number of panels destroyed
  • Downtime and lost generation
  • Cost of repair or replacement
  • Panel model and installation year

This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.

Source

pv magazine (pv-magazine.com)

Other entries that name Sardinia

Published 2026-09-07. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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Chart to reuse with this story: Solar PV incidents in Italy, by year, free with a credit (PNG).

Solar PV incidents in Italy: 19 entries, with a free alert for the next one.

Solar farm fires: the counts, the latest entries and a free alert for the next one.

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