diff --git a/charts/cluster/README.md b/charts/cluster/README.md
index 06a0c30e29..79d4ea1c2b 100644
--- a/charts/cluster/README.md
+++ b/charts/cluster/README.md
@@ -136,6 +136,7 @@ Kubernetes: `>=1.29.0-0`
 | backups.google.bucket | string | `""` |  |
 | backups.google.gkeEnvironment | bool | `false` |  |
 | backups.google.path | string | `"/"` |  |
+| backups.instanceSidecarConfiguration | object | `{}` | Instance sidecar configuration for the ObjectStore CR (plugin mode only). Useful for setting env vars required by S3-compatible storage providers. See: https://cloudnative-pg.io/plugin-barman-cloud/docs/ |
 | backups.provider | string | `"s3"` | One of `s3`, `azure` or `google` |
 | backups.retentionPolicy | string | `"30d"` | Retention policy for backups |
 | backups.s3.accessKey | string | `""` |  |
@@ -145,7 +146,7 @@ Kubernetes: `>=1.29.0-0`
 | backups.s3.region | string | `""` |  |
 | backups.s3.secretKey | string | `""` |  |
 | backups.scheduledBackups[0].backupOwnerReference | string | `"self"` | Backup owner reference |
-| backups.scheduledBackups[0].method | string | `"barmanObjectStore"` | Backup method, can be `barmanObjectStore` (default) or `volumeSnapshot` |
+| backups.scheduledBackups[0].method | string | `"barmanObjectStore"` | Backup method, can be `barmanObjectStore` (default) or `volumeSnapshot`. When the barman-cloud plugin is enabled, `barmanObjectStore` is automatically upgraded to `plugin`. Use `volumeSnapshot` to bypass the plugin. |
 | backups.scheduledBackups[0].name | string | `"daily-backup"` | Scheduled backup name |
 | backups.scheduledBackups[0].schedule | string | `"0 0 0 * * *"` | Schedule in cron format |
 | backups.secret.create | bool | `true` | Whether to create a secret for the backup credentials |
@@ -180,6 +181,7 @@ Kubernetes: `>=1.29.0-0`
 | cluster.monitoring.podMonitor.relabelings | list | `[]` | The list of relabelings for the PodMonitor. Applied to samples before scraping. |
 | cluster.monitoring.prometheusRule.enabled | bool | `true` | Whether to enable the PrometheusRule automated alerts |
 | cluster.monitoring.prometheusRule.excludeRules | list | `[]` | Exclude specified rules |
+| cluster.plugins | list | `[]` | List of CNPG-I plugins to be loaded by the cluster. |
 | cluster.podSecurityContext | object | `{}` | Configure the Pod Security Context. See: https://cloudnative-pg.io/documentation/preview/security/ |
 | cluster.postgresGID | int | `-1` | The GID of the postgres user inside the image, defaults to 26 |
 | cluster.postgresUID | int | `-1` | The UID of the postgres user inside the image, defaults to 26 |
diff --git a/charts/cluster/templates/_backup.tpl b/charts/cluster/templates/_backup.tpl
index 60270ea699..753421ec02 100644
--- a/charts/cluster/templates/_backup.tpl
+++ b/charts/cluster/templates/_backup.tpl
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 {{- if .Values.backups.enabled }}
 backup:
   target: "prefer-standby"
+  {{- if eq (include "cluster.useBarmanCloudPlugin" .) "false" }}
   retentionPolicy: {{ .Values.backups.retentionPolicy }}
   barmanObjectStore:
     wal:
@@ -19,5 +20,6 @@ backup:
 
     {{- $d := dict "chartFullname" (include "cluster.fullname" .) "scope" .Values.backups "secretPrefix" "backup" }}
     {{- include "cluster.barmanObjectStoreConfig" $d | nindent 2 }}
+  {{- end }}
 {{- end }}
 {{- end }}
diff --git a/charts/cluster/templates/_external_clusters.tpl b/charts/cluster/templates/_external_clusters.tpl
index f2b0e8fa1c..80cba4baeb 100644
--- a/charts/cluster/templates/_external_clusters.tpl
+++ b/charts/cluster/templates/_external_clusters.tpl
@@ -10,11 +10,20 @@ externalClusters:
   - name: importSource
      {{- include "cluster.externalSourceCluster" .Values.recovery.import.source | nindent 4 }}
   {{- else if eq .Values.recovery.method "object_store" }}
+    {{- if eq (include "cluster.useBarmanCloudPlugin" .) "true" }}
+  - name: objectStoreRecoveryCluster
+    plugin:
+      name: {{ include "cluster.barmanCloudPluginName" . }}
+      parameters:
+        barmanObjectName: {{ include "cluster.barmanCloudObjectStoreName" . }}
+        serverName: {{ .Values.recovery.clusterName | default (include "cluster.fullname" .) }}
+    {{- else }}
   - name: objectStoreRecoveryCluster
     barmanObjectStore:
       serverName: {{ .Values.recovery.clusterName }}
       {{- $d := dict "chartFullname" (include "cluster.fullname" .) "scope" .Values.recovery "secretPrefix" "recovery" -}}
       {{- include "cluster.barmanObjectStoreConfig" $d | nindent 4 }}
+    {{- end }}
   {{- end }}
 {{- else if eq .Values.mode "replica" }}
   - name: originCluster
diff --git a/charts/cluster/templates/_helpers.tpl b/charts/cluster/templates/_helpers.tpl
index 2bae419493..06ab69e910 100644
--- a/charts/cluster/templates/_helpers.tpl
+++ b/charts/cluster/templates/_helpers.tpl
@@ -144,3 +144,49 @@ Postgres GID
     {{- 26 -}}
   {{- end -}}
 {{- end -}}
+
+
+{{/*
+Canonical name of the barman-cloud CNPG-I plugin.
+*/}}
+{{- define "cluster.barmanCloudPluginName" -}}
+barman-cloud.cloudnative-pg.io
+{{- end -}}
+
+
+{{/*
+Returns true if the barman-cloud plugin is present and not explicitly disabled.
+*/}}
+{{- define "cluster.useBarmanCloudPlugin" -}}
+{{- $pluginName := include "cluster.barmanCloudPluginName" . }}
+{{- $hasPlugin := false }}
+{{- if .Values.cluster.plugins }}
+  {{- range .Values.cluster.plugins }}
+    {{- if eq .name $pluginName }}
+      {{- if not (eq (toString (default true .enabled)) "false") }}
+        {{- $hasPlugin = true }}
+      {{- end }}
+    {{- end }}
+  {{- end }}
+{{- end }}
+{{- $hasPlugin }}
+{{- end }}
+
+
+{{/*
+ObjectStore name for the barman-cloud plugin, auto-derived or from plugin parameters.
+*/}}
+{{- define "cluster.barmanCloudObjectStoreName" -}}
+{{- $pluginName := include "cluster.barmanCloudPluginName" . }}
+{{- $name := printf "%s-object-store" (include "cluster.fullname" .) }}
+{{- if .Values.cluster.plugins }}
+  {{- range .Values.cluster.plugins }}
+    {{- if eq .name $pluginName }}
+      {{- if and .parameters .parameters.barmanObjectName }}
+        {{- $name = .parameters.barmanObjectName }}
+      {{- end }}
+    {{- end }}
+  {{- end }}
+{{- end }}
+{{- $name }}
+{{- end }}
diff --git a/charts/cluster/templates/cluster.yaml b/charts/cluster/templates/cluster.yaml
index 4a17479773..cb61ae5cf6 100644
--- a/charts/cluster/templates/cluster.yaml
+++ b/charts/cluster/templates/cluster.yaml
@@ -67,6 +67,32 @@ spec:
     name: {{ . }}
   {{ end }}
   enablePDB: {{ .Values.cluster.enablePDB }}
+  {{- if .Values.cluster.plugins }}
+  plugins:
+    {{- range .Values.cluster.plugins }}
+    - name: {{ .name }}
+      {{- if hasKey . "enabled" }}
+      enabled: {{ .enabled }}
+      {{- end }}
+      {{- if .isWALArchiver }}
+      isWALArchiver: {{ .isWALArchiver }}
+      {{- end }}
+      {{- if and (eq .name (include "cluster.barmanCloudPluginName" $)) $.Values.backups.enabled }}
+      parameters:
+        barmanObjectName: {{ include "cluster.barmanCloudObjectStoreName" $ }}
+        {{- with .parameters }}
+        {{- range $k, $v := . }}
+        {{- if ne $k "barmanObjectName" }}
+        {{ $k }}: {{ $v | quote }}
+        {{- end }}
+        {{- end }}
+        {{- end }}
+      {{- else if .parameters }}
+      parameters:
+        {{- toYaml .parameters | nindent 8 }}
+      {{- end }}
+    {{- end }}
+  {{- end }}
   postgresql:
     {{- if or (eq .Values.type "timescaledb") (not (empty .Values.cluster.postgresql.shared_preload_libraries)) }}
     shared_preload_libraries:
diff --git a/charts/cluster/templates/objectStore.yaml b/charts/cluster/templates/objectStore.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c82f08cfc1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/charts/cluster/templates/objectStore.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+{{- if and .Values.backups.enabled (eq (include "cluster.useBarmanCloudPlugin" .) "true") }}
+apiVersion: barmancloud.cnpg.io/v1
+kind: ObjectStore
+metadata:
+  name: {{ include "cluster.barmanCloudObjectStoreName" . }}
+  namespace: {{ include "cluster.namespace" $ }}
+  {{- with .Values.cluster.annotations }}
+  annotations:
+    {{- toYaml . | nindent 4 }}
+  {{- end }}
+  labels:
+  {{- include "cluster.labels" . | nindent 4 }}
+  {{- with .Values.cluster.additionalLabels }}
+    {{ toYaml . | nindent 4 }}
+  {{- end }}
+spec:
+  {{- with .Values.backups.instanceSidecarConfiguration }}
+  instanceSidecarConfiguration:
+    {{- toYaml . | nindent 4 }}
+  {{- end }}
+  {{- with .Values.backups.retentionPolicy }}
+  retentionPolicy: {{ . }}
+  {{- end }}
+  configuration:
+    {{- if .Values.backups.endpointURL }}
+    endpointURL: {{ .Values.backups.endpointURL | quote }}
+    {{- end }}
+    {{- if or (.Values.backups.endpointCA.create) (.Values.backups.endpointCA.name) }}
+    endpointCA:
+      name: {{ .Values.backups.endpointCA.name }}
+      key: {{ .Values.backups.endpointCA.key }}
+    {{- end }}
+    {{- if eq .Values.backups.provider "s3" }}
+    {{- if empty .Values.backups.endpointURL }}
+    endpointURL: "https://s3.{{ required "You need to specify S3 region if endpointURL is not specified." .Values.backups.s3.region }}.amazonaws.com"
+    {{- end }}
+    destinationPath: {{ default (printf "s3://%s%s" (required "You need to specify S3 bucket." .Values.backups.s3.bucket) .Values.backups.s3.path) .Values.backups.destinationPath }}
+    {{- $secretName := coalesce .Values.backups.secret.name (printf "%s-backup-s3-creds" (include "cluster.fullname" .)) }}
+    s3Credentials:
+    {{- if .Values.backups.s3.inheritFromIAMRole }}
+      inheritFromIAMRole: true
+    {{- else }}
+      accessKeyId:
+        name: {{ $secretName }}
+        key: ACCESS_KEY_ID
+      secretAccessKey:
+        name: {{ $secretName }}
+        key: ACCESS_SECRET_KEY
+    {{- end }}
+    {{- else if eq .Values.backups.provider "azure" }}
+    destinationPath: {{ default (printf "https://%s.%s.core.windows.net/%s%s" (required "You need to specify Azure storageAccount." .Values.backups.azure.storageAccount) .Values.backups.azure.serviceName .Values.backups.azure.containerName .Values.backups.azure.path) .Values.backups.destinationPath }}
+    {{- $secretName := coalesce .Values.backups.secret.name (printf "%s-backup-azure-creds" (include "cluster.fullname" .)) }}
+    azureCredentials:
+    {{- if .Values.backups.azure.inheritFromAzureAD }}
+      inheritFromAzureAD: true
+    {{- else if .Values.backups.azure.connectionString }}
+      connectionString:
+        name: {{ $secretName }}
+        key: AZURE_CONNECTION_STRING
+    {{- else }}
+      storageAccount:
+        name: {{ $secretName }}
+        key: AZURE_STORAGE_ACCOUNT
+      {{- if .Values.backups.azure.storageKey }}
+      storageKey:
+        name: {{ $secretName }}
+        key: AZURE_STORAGE_KEY
+      {{- else }}
+      storageSasToken:
+        name: {{ $secretName }}
+        key: AZURE_STORAGE_SAS_TOKEN
+      {{- end }}
+    {{- end }}
+    {{- else if eq .Values.backups.provider "google" }}
+    destinationPath: {{ default (printf "gs://%s%s" (required "You need to specify Google storage bucket." .Values.backups.google.bucket) .Values.backups.google.path) .Values.backups.destinationPath }}
+    {{- $secretName := coalesce .Values.backups.secret.name (printf "%s-backup-google-creds" (include "cluster.fullname" .)) }}
+    googleCredentials:
+      gkeEnvironment: {{ .Values.backups.google.gkeEnvironment }}
+    {{- if not .Values.backups.google.gkeEnvironment }}
+      applicationCredentials:
+        name: {{ $secretName }}
+        key: APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS
+    {{- end }}
+    {{- end }}
+    wal:
+      compression: {{ .Values.backups.wal.compression }}
+      {{- if .Values.backups.wal.encryption }}
+      encryption: {{ .Values.backups.wal.encryption }}
+      {{- end }}
+      maxParallel: {{ .Values.backups.wal.maxParallel }}
+    data:
+      compression: {{ .Values.backups.data.compression }}
+      {{- if .Values.backups.data.encryption }}
+      encryption: {{ .Values.backups.data.encryption }}
+      {{- end }}
+      jobs: {{ .Values.backups.data.jobs }}
+{{- end }}
diff --git a/charts/cluster/templates/scheduled-backups.yaml b/charts/cluster/templates/scheduled-backups.yaml
index 47a0717d69..4d89e1b4f1 100644
--- a/charts/cluster/templates/scheduled-backups.yaml
+++ b/charts/cluster/templates/scheduled-backups.yaml
@@ -11,9 +11,15 @@ metadata:
 spec:
   immediate: true
   schedule: {{ .schedule | quote }}
-  method: {{ .method }}
   backupOwnerReference: {{ .backupOwnerReference }}
   cluster:
     name: {{ include "cluster.fullname" $context }}
+{{- if and (eq (include "cluster.useBarmanCloudPlugin" $context) "true") (ne (default "" .method) "volumeSnapshot") }}
+  method: plugin
+  pluginConfiguration:
+    name: {{ include "cluster.barmanCloudPluginName" $context }}
+{{- else }}
+  method: {{ default "barmanObjectStore" .method }}
+{{- end }}
 {{ end -}}
 {{ end }}
diff --git a/charts/cluster/test/postgresql-cluster-configuration/01-non_default_configuration_cluster-assert.yaml b/charts/cluster/test/postgresql-cluster-configuration/01-non_default_configuration_cluster-assert.yaml
index 47439b88dd..ab9c6a480e 100644
--- a/charts/cluster/test/postgresql-cluster-configuration/01-non_default_configuration_cluster-assert.yaml
+++ b/charts/cluster/test/postgresql-cluster-configuration/01-non_default_configuration_cluster-assert.yaml
@@ -49,6 +49,12 @@ spec:
     name: supersecret-secret
   enableSuperuserAccess: true
   enablePDB: false
+  plugins:
+    - name: cnpg-i-plugin-example.my-org.io
+      enabled: true
+      parameters:
+        key1: value1
+        key2: value2
   certificates:
     serverCASecret: ca-secret
     serverTLSSecret: tls-secret
diff --git a/charts/cluster/test/postgresql-cluster-configuration/01-non_default_configuration_cluster.yaml b/charts/cluster/test/postgresql-cluster-configuration/01-non_default_configuration_cluster.yaml
index 16a048c17c..3bf134fa44 100644
--- a/charts/cluster/test/postgresql-cluster-configuration/01-non_default_configuration_cluster.yaml
+++ b/charts/cluster/test/postgresql-cluster-configuration/01-non_default_configuration_cluster.yaml
@@ -87,6 +87,12 @@ cluster:
        inRoles:
          - pg_monitor
          - pg_signal_backend
+  plugins:
+    - name: cnpg-i-plugin-example.my-org.io
+      enabled: true
+      parameters:
+        key1: value1
+        key2: value2
   postgresql:
     ldap:
       server: 'openldap.default.svc.cluster.local'
diff --git a/charts/cluster/values.schema.json b/charts/cluster/values.schema.json
index 85645a49a7..b59bfc8f99 100644
--- a/charts/cluster/values.schema.json
+++ b/charts/cluster/values.schema.json
@@ -91,6 +91,9 @@
                         }
                     }
                 },
+                "instanceSidecarConfiguration": {
+                    "type": "object"
+                },
                 "provider": {
                     "type": "string"
                 },
@@ -281,6 +284,9 @@
                         }
                     }
                 },
+                "plugins": {
+                    "type": "array"
+                },
                 "podSecurityContext": {
                     "type": "object"
                 },
diff --git a/charts/cluster/values.yaml b/charts/cluster/values.yaml
index 2c7e8b5c15..fedc52d8e9 100644
--- a/charts/cluster/values.yaml
+++ b/charts/cluster/values.yaml
@@ -350,6 +350,12 @@ cluster:
     #  - name: custom-queries-secret
     #    key: custom-queries
 
+  # -- List of CNPG-I plugins to be loaded by the cluster.
+  # @default -- `[]`
+  plugins: []
+    # - name: barman-cloud.cloudnative-pg.io
+    #   isWALArchiver: true
+
   postgresql:
     # -- PostgreSQL configuration options (postgresql.conf)
     parameters: {}
@@ -486,9 +492,21 @@ backups:
       schedule: "0 0 0 * * *"
       # -- Backup owner reference
       backupOwnerReference: self
-      # -- Backup method, can be `barmanObjectStore` (default) or `volumeSnapshot`
+      # -- Backup method, can be `barmanObjectStore` (default) or `volumeSnapshot`.
+      # When the barman-cloud plugin is enabled, `barmanObjectStore` is automatically
+      # upgraded to `plugin`. Use `volumeSnapshot` to bypass the plugin.
       method: barmanObjectStore
 
+  # -- Instance sidecar configuration for the ObjectStore CR (plugin mode only).
+  # Useful for setting env vars required by S3-compatible storage providers.
+  # See: https://cloudnative-pg.io/plugin-barman-cloud/docs/
+  instanceSidecarConfiguration: {}
+    # env:
+    #   - name: AWS_REQUEST_CHECKSUM_CALCULATION
+    #     value: when_required
+    #   - name: AWS_RESPONSE_CHECKSUM_VALIDATION
+    #     value: when_required
+
   # -- Retention policy for backups
   retentionPolicy: "30d"