Sardinia, in Saccargia thousands of citizens take to the streets against energy speculation

Last Saturday, thousands of people poured into the streets of Saccargia, in the countryside of Codrongianus (Sassari), for a major mobilization against the speculative assault on renewable sources in Sardinia.The event, entitled "E-Vento di Saccargia", saw the presence of information gazebos of the committees and speeches on stage by their spokesmen and a series of experts, as well as musical moments from artists who wanted to give their contribution to the cause.The event follows a few days after the meeting held by the members of the coordination with the new president of the Region Alessandra Todde, following the approval of the Council's bill which blocked the installation of renewable plants for 18 months.According to the committees, even following the discussion, which took place in a serene atmosphere of dialogue, numerous «dark spots», in particular on the minimum ceiling of 6.2 GW of renewables assigned to Sardinia in the agreement with the Ministry and on various projects that will affect the island in the coming years.

The projects that have been presented and which, in part, have already obtained approval, involve installations of "wind farms" in areas of high landscape, archaeological and cultural value.It is no coincidence that the stage that hosted the event was placed in front of the basilica of Saccargia, one of the monuments - together with the area of ​​the Nuragic village of Barumini, a UNESCO heritage site - threatened by wind speculation advancing in Sardinia.«The term speculation is the key to our drama – ha explained Luigi Pisci, one of the spokespersons of the committees, present at the event -.First it was fossils, now it's renewables.What is happening today in Sardinia is the result of a decades-long history.Committees must be watchdogs towards the decisions of the regional government too.We don't want everything to be decided by multinationals."The reference is to the meeting happened four days ago with the governor of Sardinia Alessandra Todde, which lasted about three hours.«We certainly appreciated the openness, the availability and the conversational and relaxed climate», declared Pisci, reporting that they remain open «many issues that the territories experience with apprehension", including the minimum ceiling of 6.2 gigawatts established in the agreement with Mase, considered "an unjust disadvantageous starting point and a real handicap for Sardinia", the "regulatory measures to prevent the disfigurement of Barumini and Saccargia" and the "delicate issue of the Tyrrhenian Link", a double submarine cable that Terna is designing and starting to build, with the aim of uniting Sardinia, Sicily and Campania and transporting electricity to the peninsula.

In recent years, the Sardinian population has been fighting for the protection of the landscape and natural heritage of the island against what is a real “invasion” of wind turbines and expanses of photovoltaic panels.In fact, in Sardinia, 809 requests have been submitted for the connection of renewable energy production plants to the national electricity grid which, in the event of a green light, would produce 57.67 Gigawatts of power, effectively covering all quadrants of the island, including vast areas. coastal.The Agricultural Studies Center has raised the alarm, reporting that as many as 200 thousand hectares risk being compromised.At the end of April it is emerged that the largest photovoltaic panel factory in the People's Republic of China, Chint, was acquired by the Spanish company Enersid the most important solar project ever conceived at European level, stretching its tentacles over a thousand hectares of land in northern Sardinia.Only a few days later, Alessandra Todde – president of the Sardinia Region since the March election – has approved a bill that introduces the ban on building new electricity production and storage plants from renewable sources which directly cause new land occupation for 18 months.But for the committees it is not enough.And the battle continues.

[by Stefano Baudino]