The Italian government gave clearance to six wind projects with a combined capacity of nearly 350MW that had been blocked by local authorities in the southern Italian regions of Apulia and Basilicata.
Ecological transition minister Roberto Cingolani’s proposal to “unblock” the wind farms was approved in a 3 December cabinet meeting, according to the government.
The government’s go-ahead comes after the approval in July of a decree designed to streamline the process for the authorisation of renewable energy plants.
The projects in Apulia include two wind parks in the town of Cerignola of 50.4MW and 79.8MW, respectively; a 43.2MW project in Ascoli Satriano and a 79.8MW facility to be sited in the towns of Orta Nova and Stornara. The government also cleared two wind parks in Basilicata, a 60MW wind farm in the town of Montemilone and a 33.6MW wind farm in Banzi.
Francesco Starace, the CEO of Italian utility Enel, said in a presentation to investors in November that there had been some improvement in the country in permitting renewable energy projects recently but there was still further work to be done. “Simplifying is actually a very complex job,” he said.
Meanwhile, Cingolani has said that Italy must install about 8GW of renewable energy a year to meet a goal to source 72% of its electricity from renewable energy in 2030.
The minister has indicated he will shortly unveil details of the government’s plans to support wind and other renewable energy through auctions over the next five years.
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