Construction Manager Giulia Verzino has played a central role in delivering Maia, OX2’s first Italian wind farm, a complex project with high demands on local insight, risk management, and collaboration with stakeholders. The experience is now influencing our approach to future Italian projects.

Giulia Verzino joined OX2 Italy in 2022 as one of the company’s first employees. She initially worked in project development, but less than two years later she was entrusted with leading the construction of Maia, OX2’s first wind farm in Italy, a rare responsibility for a young woman in the country’s energy and construction sector. 

Layers of complexity

Delivering Maia required navigating several layers of complexity. Italy’s dense population and Puglia's extensive agricultural activity had an effect on every aspect of the work.

“Because of those factors, our projects are smaller than in Sweden or Finland, but the complexity is higher. It makes stakeholder management essential,” Giulia explains.

Under­­­­­­­­standing the local context quickly became fundamental to the team’s strategy.

“We performed a detailed risk assessment and implemented strategies to safeguard the site and protect our people,” she says. “We had strong support from Sweden on OX2’s Health & Safety guidelines but aligning them with Italy’s very detailed legislation was sometimes challenging.”

Building credibility

Introducing the OX2 way of working to a new market added another layer of difficulty. Giulia recalls how the team had to build credibility from scratch: “We weren’t well known in Italy, yet we were clear about our expectations. Getting suppliers and subcontractors on board took effort, but our consistent presence on site made all the difference.”

Throughout the project, relationships with local stakeholders proved critical. Puglia already hosts many wind farms, and resistance can be strong.

“We had difficult relationships with some landowners. It took time, but it was necessary and it paid off,” she says. The same applied to engagement with local authorities: “After two years, we built trust.”

Safeguarding agricultural heritage

Safeguarding the region’s agricultural heritage became a defining feature of the construction process.

“Vineyards and olive trees are the heart of this region. The original design didn’t consider the crops, so we redesigned the wind farm; moved roads, rotated the substation, and planned civil works carefully. We want to be part of the local environment, not damage it.”

Strengthening OX2's position

The successful delivery of Maia has strengthened OX2’s position in Italy and is already influencing the company’s project pipeline. “Developers now see that we can deliver, not just develop,” Giulia notes.

The lessons learned are being factored into decision-making as well: “We can now evaluate new projects with greater insight and advise the transaction team on construction risks when making investment decisions. It’s real added value for OX2.”

A transformative experience

For Giulia, the experience has been professionally transformative:

“It helped me grow professionally and personally and build strong relationships across the Italian market. I hope OX2 continues to offer opportunities like this to young women. In Italy, that isn’t the standard, and we should be proud of it.”

Published 2026-01-19