Taranto, after the offshore wind farm there is a clash over the photovoltaic at sea
[ad_1]
On renewable sources with offshore plants, a new conflict risks flaring up in Taranto. The Apulian city was the first to see the Mediterranean’s first offshore wind farm operational. It is that of Renexia, 30 MW of installed power, 10 turbines positioned off the multi-sectoral pier, capable of satisfying the energy needs of 60,000 people. Plant inaugurated in April 2022, which began producing energy in the summer, refinanced in December with 83.9 million euros, but it took 14 years of waiting marked by various vicissitudes (corporate, judicial, bureaucratic, planning) before start with the works, which lasted about 12 months. Now Taranto may also be the first city for a photovoltaic park at sea (some have been designed in closed basins such as, for example, the lagoon of La Loggia in the Turin area) but a conflict arose over this project between the Authority of the port system of the Ionian Sea and the private company that has come forward, the company Nicetechnology.
The new initiative: 50-52 million investment, 48 MW
The conflict concerns who should authorize the photovoltaic park, an investment of 50-52 million euros, “in the hands of Italian subjects” it is specified, 48 MW of energy from solar sources, 48 hectares of land next to Punta Rondinella in the area of port, covering the needs of 80 thousand users. The TAR of Lecce, to which Nicetechnology has turned since it was not possible to find an agreement with the Authority, has expressed its opinion on the authorization in the last few hours with a sentence of the first section. Which says: the only subject competent to issue the Single Authorization for the construction and operation of electricity production plants powered by renewable sources is Mase, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, in agreement with the Mims, Ministry of Infrastructures, while the release of the maritime state concession remained in the hands of the Port Authority but “rather, it is configured as a sub-procedure within the main iter”. “For these reasons – notes the TAR – the contested notice falls outside the prerogatives of the ASP, since the latter’s competence is limited to the issue of the state concession only in the context of the sub-procedure aimed at issuing the single authorization of competence del Mase in concert with Mims».
The exploratory notice of the Port Authority
The contested notice to which the Tar refers is the exploratory one launched by the Port Authority last March to verify the possibility of building a public-private partnership in terms of renewable energy. Notice that initially expired on 16 June but which was then extended on 6 June until 14 July. The private sector did not participate in this procedure and, claiming ownership of the ministry’s powers, already last August it presented the project to the Ministry of the Environment which is currently examining it. The private individual claims that the authorization for construction could arrive in a few months. If this is really the timing, off to the construction site next year to finish the work within a year.
The investor: now there is collaboration. The public: let’s go to the State Council
Meanwhile, there is a battle over the Tar ruling. Luigi Severini of Nicetechnology says (Severini also designed the Renexia offshore wind farm and is in the running for other wind farms between Sicily and Sardinia): “It is an important sentence. But let’s not talk about a clash between us and the Port Authority. Instead, an overlapping legislative situation that gave rise to erroneous interpretations needed to be clarified. The ruling of the Lecce Tar sheds light on what the rules of primary importance are compared to others that must be followed. In short, the hierarchical scale of the norms”. “Now I hope that a process of collaboration with the Authority can begin” adds Severini. Sergio Prete, president of the Port Authority, replies shortly: “The sentence is wrong and we will immediately appeal it to the Council of State. But in any case, beyond the outcome, for us the sentence is favorable because, in fact, it recognizes the competence of the Port System Authority for issuing the concession”. “We – adds Prete – will express our opinion on the concession within the procedure of the Ministry of the Environment. But the final part of the sentence starts from another assumption, as if we wanted to issue the single authorisation. Instead it is not so. In the Authority’s exploratory public notice it is written that it is a preliminary phase and is valid only for the identification of the proposer. Who then has to proceed with the application to the ministry”. “The notice is not intended to authorize the photovoltaic park – adds Prete -. We want to choose the type of solution among those proposed because it must be consistent with our planning. Anyone who should come forward, be it a company or a consortium, must always go to the Ministry of the Environment. Where we would have formally pronounced on the concession”. The private sector tries to send signals of collaboration and proposes a subdivision of roles to the Authority. “We are able to make a rapid design – declares Severini – and make it available to the Authority. If they focus on storage, and we do energy instead, the combination works well”. But the Authority rejects the offer to the sender: “Absolutely not – replies Prete -. We started with the announcement and the market has tested it and we are testing it. Ours is a path of absolute transparency. We want to listen to everyone. We will follow that path because we want technology, if not operators, to suggest the best solution to satisfy the public interest. Here, unfortunately, we find ourselves faced with a private interest that wants to achieve something within a public body with respect to a public initiative that pursues this aim”. “There have not yet been any manifestations of interest in the public-private partnership on energy, but they were about to be formalized – concludes Prete -. There was a lot of interest and the questions should have been formalized in these days”.
[ad_2]
Source link
