Editorial comment
In 1H22, the conflict escalation in Ukraine prompted Russia to significantly reduce its gas supplies to its EU customers. This abrupt reduction triggered a surge in gas prices, thrusting the EU into an energy crisis. Throughout the decade spanning from 2010 – 2020, average gas prices fluctuated within a range of €5/MWh to €35/MWh. However, in August 2022, gas prices skyrocketed to an unprecedented high of €300/MWh, dealing a severe blow to consumers and businesses across the continent. This sharp escalation had far-reaching ramifications, causing inflationary pressures throughout the entire spectrum of the European economy. Russian gas, vital for not only heating but also electricity generation, played a central role in this crisis, leading to a staggering 114% increase in household electricity prices on average across Europe.
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In response to this crisis, the momentum towards net zero in Europe gained significant traction. Governments across the Eurozone were spurred into action, racing to reduce their reliance on Russian gas. Italy, in particular, felt the impact of soaring gas prices acutely, as a substantial portion of its electricity was generated from natural gas.
This heavy dependence on natural gas stemmed from Italy’s comparatively sluggish progress in transitioning to renewable energy sources, largely driven primarily by regulatory uncertainties. Italy saw minimal renewable energy development since 2012, largely due to a regulatory shift that abruptly ended subsidies for renewables, causing the market to stagnate overnight.
Since 2022, the Italian government, driven by European legislation mandating the implementation of a certain level of renewable capacity and exacerbated by a severe energy crisis, has enacted a series of regulatory reforms aimed at streamlining the notoriously opaque and complex permitting process. The primary permitting method for solar projects in Italy, known as The Autorizzazione Unica, has historically been burdened by bureaucracy, often taking up to two years to complete and requiring the submission of over 100 distinct documents. To address this issue, the government introduced the Procedura Autorizzativa Semplificata (PAS) tailored to utility scale solar farms situated on industrial land, within 500 m of industrial zones, on reclaimed mines and dumps, and in other heavily anthropized areas. The PAS can, theoretically, be approved in 30 days using the principle of ‘silenzio assenso’ – silence implies assent. Governing bodies have 30 days to object to a project before it is automatically considered permitted.
In practice, despite best efforts to liberalise the solar development industry in Italy, projects are still constrained by a dizzying mix of local, regional, and national regulations that severely limit the areas suitable for large scale solar farms, the backbone of the energy transition. The availability of suitable land, particularly reclaimed mines and dumps is scarce and often requires substantial investment to make them viable for solar projects. Many of these sites remain improperly reclaimed or abandoned, necessitating significant large capital expenditure before they can be utilised for solar farms.
In essence, developers experience marginal practical effects in their day-to-day operations, with only a slight acceleration observed in the initial stages of permitting plots for land already suitable for solar. What the industry truly needs is a comprehensive simplification of the administrative burden placed on developers to navigate the permitting process, particularly for unused farmland. This would enhance efficiency and encourage broader adoption of solar energy in Italy.
