Italy Business Lobby Calls for Emergency Action to Boost Renewables Rollout

Confindustria, the business lobby in Italy, has called on the government to take urgent action to speed up the deployment of renewable energy in the country. The country is currently grappling with higher electricity costs than most of Europe.

Recent increases in gas prices, a result of the war with Iran, have highlighted the costs for Italian households and businesses of the slow growth of renewables. This has prompted new calls for more action to promote green policies.

Confindustria President Emanuele Orsini has urged Giorgia Melanie's government, in a similar manner to the emergency measures taken to guarantee gas supplies by 2022, to appoint an?special commission to oversee the permit process for renewable project.

Orsini, speaking at an event held in Varese (a northern city), said that "some 4,000 permits" for renewable projects totaling 130 gigawatts must be debloked.

Orsini warned that if nothing is done, manufacturers may 'leave Italy and go to countries with lower energy costs.' He also called on the European Commission for a single power market.

According to data from Ember? and the Energy Institute, 2025, gas, which is more costly than renewables, makes up almost half of Italy's electric production. This is the highest percentage in the European Union.

This compares to a little over 5% in Spain, and only 3% for France's system dominated by nuclear power.

Italy appointed special commissioners in 2022, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine caused an energy crisis. They were tasked with accelerating the construction of new terminals for liquefied gas and diversifying gas imports.

Experts in energy say that the overlapping of?competencies among Italy's central and local governments is one of the biggest hurdles to the approval process for renewables.

The most delayed projects are offshore wind farms.

Aero, an offshore wind?lobby, said in a report last week that the industry could provide around 7% the nation's power by 2030 if government incentives are released quickly. (Reporting and editing by Gavin Jones, Francesca Landini)

(source: Reuters)