Veronica Pitea, president of ACEPER (Association of Consumers and Producers of Renewable Energy), made this request after companies producing energy from renewable sources, part of the association, announced a three-day shutdown of 10,000 photovoltaic plants. These plants provide electricity equivalent to the needs of six major cities like Rome, Milan, Naples, Bologna, Bari, and Palermo combined.

“The sharp rise in energy costs, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, risks bringing the renewable energy sector in Italy to its knees, ironically the sector that should instead be the ‘engine’ of Italy’s energy transition,” explains Veronica Pitea in a statement. “If the government does not heed our call, we will be forced to shut down over 10,000 photovoltaic plants across Italy, which produce more than 900 GWh of clean electricity from renewable sources, enough to power the equivalent of six major cities like Rome, Milan, Naples, Bologna, Bari, and Palermo combined.”

The request to the government is to amend the Sostegni TER Decree and Article 36 linked to the 2020 budget law, providing alternative measures for renewable energy producers (for example, “revamping” the plants, i.e., replacing parts of the plant and repairing it to restore optimal production). It would become unsustainable for us to keep our plants running, and it would be more advantageous to shut everything down rather than operate at a loss.

The impact of the shutdown could be devastating; it could affect all productive activities, from agriculture to industry and craftsmanship. These plants directly employ over 70,000 people who would be left jobless. It saddens me even to hear our producers worried that such a drastic measure could lead to the shutdown of the plants. Therefore, I trust in the Draghi government and the Minister of Ecological Transition, Roberto Cingolani, who recently reaffirmed the centrality of renewable energies—meaning us at Aceper—in the PNRR and in managing the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.