4 out of 5 projects rejected: government fighting back against solar power
4 out of 5 projects rejected: The government claims it wants to focus on renewables as well. But the numbers tell a different story.
4 out of 5 projects rejected, GIS criticizes
"There is an obvious contradiction. While new investment opportunities in renewables are being announced, the Council of Ministers recently issued a negative environmental assessment for 16 out of the 21 projects reviewed on October 28... It’s impossible to talk about energy independence while simultaneously making it increasingly difficult to build the facilities needed to achieve it." Raffaello Giacchetti, president of Gruppo Impianti Solari (GIS), summarizes the situation this way. On one hand, there are two ministers, Adolfo Urso and Pichetto Fratin, who say that pushing for renewables is essential to combat rising energy costs. On the other hand, there is government resistance that rejects 4 out of 5 projects, driven by local committees and media campaigns that gain more attention as the election deadline approaches."
"Improving energy efficiency alone is not enough..."
And so, without alternative sources to stabilize prices, poor consumers must settle for the modest discount provided under the Bollette Decree. What the ECCO Foundation calls “a pitiful tip for consumers” after the monstrous price hikes in recent months. “The greater budget flexibility granted by the European Union to Italy for energy security is an opportunity. But it risks being entirely insufficient if not accompanied by a concrete strategy to increase domestic production of renewables. Electrifying homes, improving the energy efficiency of schools, hospitals, and public buildings, and installing solar panels are certainly positive steps. But they are not enough to resolve the country’s energy dependence.”
ANIE Rinnovabili: “The ministry is speeding up the review, but then…”
A slightly more optimistic assessment comes from ANIE Rinnovabil. 24 GW of renewable energy projects, involving approximately 33 billion in investments, are still in the process of being finalized by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC) and the Prime Minister’s Office. This is according to updated data as of August 31 published by the Ministry of the Environment (MASE). The data show a significant acceleration in the work of the technical committees for Environmental Impact Assessment (VIA) on one hand, and the need to make the approval process more efficient on the other. “In the first 8 months of 2026, the PNRR-PNIEC committee issued 308 VIA opinions—40% more than in the same period of 2025—relating to renewable energy projects totaling around 19.5 GW and involving over 36 billion in investments. During the same period, the VIA-VAS committee also increased its activity by 40%, issuing approximately 380 opinions.”
…delays remain in the rest of the decision-making chain
But this acceleration is not sufficient to ensure the timely completion of the procedures. From 2021 to August 2026, the PNRR-PNIEC Commission issued opinions on projects totaling over 67 GW, corresponding to investments of more than 82 billion euros. Of these, 39 GW relate to projects for which unanimous approval was given by the MIC, allowing MASE to issue the relevant decrees. There remain 24 GW, worth approximately 33 billion euros, still under consideration by the MIC and the President of the Council, while another 4 GW is in the final stages of review at MASE. For ANIE Rinnovabili, the key issue is the functioning of the entire decision-making chain. Accelerating efforts within a single administration risks shifting delays to subsequent stages. It requires corresponding reinforcement of the other involved entities as well.
– Also read / Ground-mounted photovoltaics in agricultural areas? No, even on uncultivated land
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