Photovoltaic systems awaiting authorisation: how many are there? The bill is done by the Photovoltaic Alliance in Italy which estimates the production of energy from photovoltaics at 40 GW still waiting to receive the authorization for the construction of the plants. "Private investment projects, at no cost to the state, amounting to 35 billion euros, already presented and ready for grounding, but which are still blocked due to bureaucracy" denounces the association of photovoltaic electric producers of big dimensions. If the plants continued in their authorization process, their contribution - the association continues - would make it possible to match the objectives of the ecological transition that the government has quantified as 60 GW of electricity production from renewable sources by 2030.
The appeal-complaint by the Alliance for the photovoltaic arrives a few days after thealarm raised by Future Electricity which asked the government to unblock 60 GW of renewable plants (hydro, wind, solar and other) mired in the authorization bureaucracy. If they were released, they would set in motion 85 billion in investments and would save 15 billion cubic meters of gas in a few years.
The problem, underlines the Alliance for photovoltaics, is concentrated in the Regions: there is a need for a change of pace and "just oneresolute and extraordinary government action it can give the turning point to an authorization system that today works in fits and starts or, in some cases, is even paralysed. A scenario that instills greater concern, if read in relation to the rhythms of the authorization procedures of recent years, whereby out of a total of 33GW of projects presented since 2018, equal to around 1.000 plants, only 9% has hitherto been authorised".
This is an analysis which, at least in part, is shared by Prime Minister Mario Draghi in the light of the surge in prices linked to the Russia-Ukraine war. Draghi has promised that the Government is working to "streamline bureaucracy and speed up investments, but everyone's collaboration is needed, especially on the territory, especially in the Regions".
The Photovoltaic Alliance states that the authorization procedures for large-scale plants have an average duration, at present, of 4-5 years. This constitutes the most relevant competitive gap which separates Italy from achieving the 2030 objectives. The most urgent request is therefore that of “providing for the simplification of the authorization procedures, through direct intervention by the Government. Also because the Regions continue to proceed in random order and sometimes retroactively, creating uncertainty for investments. It would therefore be crucial to promote greater coordination between the ministries responsible for the matter (MITE, MIPAAF, MIC)” concludes the association.
