(ANSA) – ROME, March 11 – The companies producing energy from renewable sources affiliated with Aceper (Association of Consumers and Producers of Renewable Energy) have announced in a statement the shutdown of 10,000 photovoltaic plants for three days.

“The steep rise in energy costs, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, risks crippling the renewable energy sector in Italy, which paradoxically should be the ‘engine’ of Italy’s energy transition,” stated Veronica Pitea, President of Aceper, in a note. “If the government does not heed our appeal,” Pitea continued, “we will be forced to shut down over 10,000 photovoltaic plants across Italy, which produce over 900 GWh of clean renewable energy, enough to power the equivalent of six major cities such as Rome, Milan, Naples, Bologna, Bari, and Palermo combined.”

The request to the government is to amend the Decreto Sostegni TER and Article 36 related to the 2020 budget law, “providing alternative measures for producers of renewable energy (for example, ‘revamping’ the plants, which means replacing parts of the plant and repairing it to restore optimal production),” otherwise, according to Pitea, “it would become unsustainable to keep our plants open” (ANSA).