Sardinia Changes Renewable Energy Legislation

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--On March 12, the regional government of Sardinia in Italy announced three key changes regarding the regulation of renewable energy production in the island.

In Deliberation 10/1, the government established the creation of a fully regional state-owned company named Sardegna Energia SpA. This company will be a key player in the development of renewable projects in the region, aligning them with regional energy plans and programs to promote the production of electricity, ensuring respect for the environmental sustainability and the conservation of the natural and historical landmarks. According to President of the Regional Board Ugo Cappellacci, the main role of Sardegna Energia will be to develop and operate any future wind energy projects that are not solely for self-consumption.

Deliberation 10/2 bans the development of any offshore windfarm off the cost of Sardinia. As a result of this decision, TREVI Energy SpA (Cesena, Italy), a subsidiary of TREVI-Finanziaria Industriale SpA (Cesena) (BIT:TFI), had to stop the installation of 33 3-megawatt (MW) wind turbines in the Gulf of Cagliari.

The third measure taken by the Regional Board, Deliberation 10/3, enters a series of modifications on the authorization procedures and requirements for the construction of renewable-based electricity generation projects. The key point of this deliberation is the exclusion of these procedures from the following types of projects:

• windfarms with an overall installed capacity of less than 60 kilowatts (kW)
• photovoltaic power plants with an installed capacity less than 20 kW
• biomass-fired power plants with nominal installed capacity of less than 200 kW
• biogas-fired and landfill gas-fired power stations with installed capacities of less than 250 kW
• hydropower plants with installed capacities of less than 100 kW

The only requirement for these projects will be the submission of a Declaration of Beginning of Activities.

Photovoltaic power generation projects in agricultural lands will be also limited. Only projects proposed by agricultural companies or joint ventures with agricultural companies as majority partners will be allowed.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. IIR's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.