The companies that produce renewable energy under Aceper (Association of Consumers and Producers of Renewable Energies) have announced the shutdown for three days of 10,000 photovoltaic plants, which provide electricity equivalent to the needs of six large cities such as Rome, Milan, Naples, Bologna, Bari, and Palermo combined. This is a dramatic gesture, explained in a statement by the association’s president Veronica Pitea, to protest against the ‘dichotomy’ of the Italian government, which verbally supports energy transition but, in practice, issues decrees that move in a completely different direction.

“The steep rise in energy costs, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, risks crippling – asserts Pitea – the renewable energy sector in Italy, paradoxically the sector that should be the ‘engine’ of Italy’s energy conversion. If the government does not heed our appeal, we will be forced to shut down over 10,000 photovoltaic plants spread across Italy, which produce over 900 GWh of clean electricity from renewable sources, equivalent to illuminating six large cities like Rome, Milan, Naples, Bologna, Bari, and Palermo combined. If the government does not amend the ‘Sostegni ter’ decree and Article 36 connected to the 2020 budget law, providing alternative measures for renewable energy producers (for example, ‘revamping’ plants by replacing parts and repairing them to restore optimal production), it would become unsustainable for us to keep our plants operational, and it would be more advantageous to shut down everything rather than operate at a loss.”

“The impact of this shutdown could be devastating – she continues – affecting all productive activities from agriculture to industry to craftsmanship. These plants directly employ over 70,000 people who would face unemployment. I am sorry to hear our producers concerned that such a drastic measure could lead to plant shutdowns. Therefore, I trust in Prime Minister Draghi’s government and the Minister of Ecological Transition, Roberto Cingolani, who recently emphasized the centrality of renewable energies, including us at Aceper, in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Pnrr) and in managing the energy crisis caused by the Ukraine War.”

See here the article from Eco dalle Città dated 12/03/2022

“Source Eco dalle Città”