Tuscany, citizens rebel against the wind farm near the protected area

Not only in Sardinia, the great works of the so-called "green energy" have arrived throughout Italy, starting from the south and reaching the center.This is the case of Tuscany, where for a year now citizens, committees and environmental groups have been fighting to preserve the the Mugello area is already at risk.The project for the Tuscany Region is always the same:planting towers 170 meters high, «as high as two Giotto bell towers one on top of the other», in natural areas close to the mountain, close to protected reserves, with reinforced concrete bases the size of half a football field. Land consumption, serious impact on the environment, hydrogeological instability, these are some of the risks faced by Mugello, reported by a group of groups in one open letter against wind speculation.Among these, the Committee for the protection of the Mugello ridges, one of the associations active in defense of the territory, which explained to The Independent the situation.

The works to carry out the seven wind turbines planned by the Mugello industrial plant began in June 2023.The area affected, specifically, is that of the ridge of Monte Giogo di Villore-Corella, adjacent to Special Conservation Zones and in front of the Casentinesi Forest National Park.Here, the Tuscany Region has granted the authorization to proceed with projects and expropriations, despite the contrary opinions of the Superintendency, of the Foreste Casentinesi National Park and of some Municipalities, first of all that of San Godenzo, where the construction of the industrial plant.From last year to today, quite a few works have been presented management problems, which mainly involved the Solstretto stream on Monte Giogo di Villore, the excavation material deposit on Monte Giogo di Corella, and the CAI Paths - including the important Sentiero 00 Italia -, affected by a "progressive degradation".This June the works resumed in a disruptive way, and a deforestation began which opened wide paths in the surrounding beech forests, filling them with large stones.The expropriation practices they instead affected the ancient brown groves of the area, which were also demolished to make room for the cumbersome infrastructure necessary to allow the large means of transport of the shovels to pass through.The Municipality of San Godenzo itself moved against the plans for the industrial wind power plant by presenting appeal to the TAR, which however was rejected;the Municipality therefore brought the case before the Council of State, which has yet to express itself.

As the Committee explains to us, the damage to which the territory is subjected is gigantic, and ranges from the "consumption of agricultural and forestry land", to the "risks of hydrogeological instability", up to the "disastrous effects on tourism and the local economy ».The territory would suffer first and foremost, as well as the still fragile balance of the local flora and fauna:the construction of an industrial wind power plant in the area, in fact, would compromise it irrevocably the ecosystems and habitats of plants and protected species with serious negative repercussions also for the Foreste Casentinesi National Park, located less than three kilometers away.In addition to the damage to flora and fauna, the installation of the poles would increase the «flood risk in the Region», as a direct effect of the impoverishment and fragmentation of forests.Last but not least, the effect on the landscape, which would not only be irremediably compromised, but also completely distorted, ending up losing both diversity and attractiveness.All to create enormous shovels in an area of ​​the central-northern Apennines that is decidedly «not very windy», as demonstrated by a map published by the National Research Council (CNR).

The one in Mugello in Tuscany seems to have all it takes to be seen as yet another case of wind energy speculation to grab the PNRR funds which has been affecting Italy for some time.In Italy, protests against "green lobbies" have been going on for some time, and the case of Sardinia.The population here has been fighting against the speculation of wind multinationals for months:about ten days ago at the port of Oristano has begun around a permanent garrison, already the subject of clearing by the police.Previously, in the Cagliari hinterland, some citizens have started the Revolt of the Olives, a spontaneous popular uprising that responds to the forced expropriations of farmers' land (where the wind farms are to be built) by planting olive trees and other plant species.Meanwhile, it's officially match the collection of signatures to stop wind and photovoltaic park projects on the island in the absence of an adequate regional energy plan.

[by Dario Lucisano]