At the 3SUN Gigafactory in Catania, Italy, Techint E&C supported the expansion of photovoltaic manufacturing as Owner’s Engineer, providing project management, engineering coordination, construction supervision, commissioning support and digital engineering tools such as BIM.

In Catania, on the eastern coast of Sicily, the 3SUN Gigafactory transformed an existing photovoltaic manufacturing site into a large-scale production facility. The project was designed to expand annual production capacity from 200 MW to 3 GW of installed capacity, equivalent to the production of up to 15,000 photovoltaic panels per day.

Techint E&C supported this transformation as Owner's Engineer, managing project activities and site execution across a complex network of technologies, suppliers and contractors.

The development built on more than a decade of solar manufacturing experience at the site, where photovoltaic modules have been produced since 2011.

The introduction of silicon heterojunction technology and the expansion of the existing plant required a major transformation of the facility, combining new production systems with the reconfiguration of facilities. The project also brought together advanced equipment supplied by multiple international vendors, creating a manufacturing environment with numerous technical and operational interfaces.

At this scale, engineering went beyond addressing individual disciplines. It required clear governance, timely decisions and consistency between the overall engineering design, suppliers engineering, construction and commissioning.

Techint E&C's scope combined project management, engineering coordination, construction supervision and commissioning support. By bringing these capabilities together, the team helped maintain alignment between engineering deliverables, construction priorities and operational requirements as the project advanced.

This execution-focused approach enabled the creation of a consistent framework for managing interfaces, identifying dependencies and supporting progress across the different phases of the development.

"The success of large-scale industrial developments increasingly depends on the ability to integrate suppliers' technological requirements, including process facilities, utility distribution and safety systems, across all engineering disciplines within a single, coherent framework.. That capability is what ultimately enables complex industrial developments to move from design to operation," said Andrea Campagna, Project Manager.

Digital engineering played a key role in supporting project execution. Through BIM, project teams worked with coordinated models and shared project information to improve visibility and support decision-making.

In a high-density industrial environment, this shared digital framework provided a more consistent view of project interfaces and strengthened alignment between engineering and site activities. Its value extended beyond visualization by helping teams work from coordinated information throughout execution.

The 3SUN Gigafactory represents a step forward for solar manufacturing and Europe's energy transition. It also demonstrates how industrial transformation depends on combining advanced technologies with disciplined project management and site execution.

For Techint E&C, the project showcases how its Owner's Engineer capabilities, industrial project experience and digital engineering tools can support the expansion of manufacturing facilities and help turn industrial ambition into operational reality.