The author of this article is Melissa Piroddi, MSc student of Resource Economics and Sustainable Development at the University of Bologna.
In the Italian region of Sardinia several municipalities launched a popular initiative against wind power speculation in the island – “Pratobello 24”-. As of September, more than 100 000 signatures have been collected from all provinces, exceeding the target of 10 000. The government itself, led my newly elected Alessandra Todde, approved a law suspending for 18 months all renewable projects initiatives leading to new land occupation, resulting in significant contrast with national policies. The denoted period should be sufficient for the local administration, rather than private businesses or the national government, to define on its own suitable areas for renewable installations.
Some key words summarize what is happening in Sardinia: local consumption, speculation and balance.
Speculation and bureaucratic challenges
Firstly, the Pratobello movement is denouncing the speculation on wind power projects presented in the past two years. According to Terna data (i.e Italian electricity provider), if all submitted initiatives are approved, Sardinia total green energy production would result in 54 GW against its 6 GW target by 2030 (CNA Sardegna). That is also 11,8 times more than the island internal demand. Uncertainty remains on how to manage the surplus – due to lack of proper infrastructure – and around exports to other regions. Some argue that it is overexploitation of the island resources for national purposes. Similar accusations also concern fossil fuels production, as 2 out of 7 Italian coal plants are based in the island.
In depth mapping of the distribution of green “responsibilities” across Italian regions should definitely improve. Afterall, the Sardinian case was only 1 out of the 20 similar cases across all Italy (Legambiente). However, only 50% of initiatives accepted by Terna typically obtain a final approval (Ministry of the Environment). This means that the overall capacity would then be halved but still exceed national targets.
The length of the bureaucratic procedure is of about 7 years (Ministry of the Environment). According to Legambiente, these delayed assessments are the main issue. The Italian legislation also worsened speculation by lacking a maximum cap on the overall capacity for renewables. From this perspective, the Sardinian case highlights a national issue.
Local priorities and media
The Pratobello Law clearly sets self-consumption as the main objective of renewable projects. Moreover, wind power installations are fully prohibited in selected areas. There are exceptions for solar power and hydrogen, as long as justified by local consumption and installed on already built-up areas.The government is promoting Energy communities based on photovoltaics. However, there is the need for significant contraints in the number of suitable areas as well as for industrial solar installations. In the last years, regional news outlets led a media campaign against wind power, highlighting speculation issues. Providing better information on the environmental impacts associated to such installations as well as their benefits for local communities is fundamental to tackle this issue.
Balancing transition and preservation
Balance –“between urban areas…natural and protected areas, those of relevant value for the community and for economic/strategic planning”- remains the core issue. Despite being the aim of the Pratobello law, such principle is difficult to achieve. The popular movement calls for defending socio-cultural and aesthetic values, reiterating a strong connection with the homeland and echoing many other local struggles against the green transition. Popular discomfort stems from lack of involvement as businesses led the initiative, such that a growing feeling of perceived exclusion has become dominant. This clearly signals wrongdoings in terms of modern corporate social responsibility. The Pratobello Law perfectly captures the urgency to make communities the leading forces of the transition. Thus, developing communication tools through information campaigns and digital platforms that facilitate interactions is extremely important. This includes having a good understanding of the socio-cultural area, by assessing as well the values the community places on specific sites, beyond formal documents.
In conclusion, the Pratobello 24 movement at its core has never been against the ecological transition. Its main attempt is defining limits on urban planning and increasing population involvement. Yet, as Sardinia will phase-out from fossil fuels, significant changes will occur in the energy balance (only 30% of internal production comes from renewables). New regulations should be careful not to slow down excessively the energy transition. Therefore, extreme positions stating that “there are no suitable areas for wind farms in Sardinia” can appear disenchanted with the current reality.
The struggle of Sardinians is just one of the many examples of the trade-offs related to the green transition. Enhancing local communities requires introducing real benefits, by improving decisional power, creating permanent job opportunities and providing adequate compensation. Overall, the issue is to balance the social, historical and aesthetic values against the urgency of the ecological transition.
Sources
Pratobello 24 law content (Municipality of Orgosolo), PDF
CNA Sardegna (Confederazione Nazionale dell’Artigianato), Press release 30 April 2024
Legambiente, Scacco matto alle rinnovabili, 2024
Terna, Statistiche regionali, 2022
