What does the new climate plan presented by the government include?Experts' doubts:«Insufficient, there is no adequate strategy»

The "Pniec" developed by the Ministry of the Environment will have to be examined by the EU Commission.Peg:«A realistic plan, Italy will be at the forefront»

In recent days, the Ministry of the Environment sent the European Commission its proposal to update the PNIEC, the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan.It is a 424-page document with which the government establishes national objectives for 2030 on energy efficiency, renewable sources and emissions reduction.A path that the minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin he commented like this:«Italy will be at the forefront on these issues.He will do it without ideology, looking at the reality of the country.We have to work realistically."In words, the objectives of the Italian government remain the same as those set at European level:reducing emissions by 55% by 2030 and committing to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.Yet, not everyone among the professionals is convinced that the new plan presented by the government can really lead to the desired results.

The experts at Ecco, the think tank Italian for the climate, speak of a policy framework that is "complex, redundant and, in several cases, contradictory to the objective".While giving the document a "below passing" rating, the analysis is not limited to expressing negative opinions:«The political will for improvement is present, undoubtedly the most positive and distinctive element of this Plan», recognize the Ecco experts.According to the Ministry of the Environment, the path indicated by the new Pniec will allow Italy to reach "almost all the community targets on the environment and climate by 2030, in some cases exceeding the set objectives".Before arriving at the final text, which must be presented by June 2024, the proposal will be subject to discussion with parliament, regions and - above all - it will have to receive the approval of the European Commission.

The government's plan on renewables

The latest integrated national energy and climate plan developed by Italy dates back to 2019.A document which, according to the current government, was guilty of "excessive optimism" and which therefore required a change in strategy.The new plan signed by Minister Pichetto speaks of the need for "a decisive acceleration compared to what has been done to date".The path to be taken to achieve the decarbonisation objectives set at European level "will require an extreme effort" and a general decrease in the level of consumption.From an energy point of view, the plan aims to "exploit the considerable benefits inherent in the widespread diffusion of renewables".In particular, one of the objectives set by the executive envisages installing around 8 new GW of renewables per year between now and 2030.A target that is actually less ambitious than that set by Elettricità Futura - the branch of Confindustria that brings together the Italian electricity world - which envisages installations at a rate of 10 GW each year.

The role of nuclear and gas

Compared to the 2019 plan, something new appears:nuclear.If atomic energy was almost not mentioned in the document approved before the Covid-19 pandemic, the new Pniec presented to the European Commission certainly indicates another path.«There is great potential for Italy to contribute to the relaunch of nuclear energy in Europe and in the world, in terms of participation in experimentation programs on innovative electro-nuclear generation solutions», we read in the document.Still on the energy front, the Pniec confirms the strategy dictated by Giorgia Meloni of wanting to make Italy a "European energy hub", still focusing on fossil gas for a long time."The phase out of coal - continues the document - will be implemented through the construction of additional thermoelectric units powered by gas, also necessary for maintaining the adequacy of the system in the presence of the strong increase in the share of non-programmable renewables in electricity generation".The desire to build new infrastructures, such as regasifiers and gas pipelines, was also confirmed:«Added to this is the development of further gas interconnection infrastructures for the diversification of supplies, as well as the strengthening of regasification capacity and the related supply of LNG (liquefied natural gas), of particular importance also in terms of energy security».

The doubts of the experts

According to Chiara Di Mambro, responsible for the decarbonisation policies of the think tank Here, some key elements are missing from the document.That is to say:«A fossil-free exit strategy consistent with neutrality by 2050, both on coal and gas;more incisive policies on renewables, to achieve Italy's G7 objective of a decarbonised electricity system by 2035".To take a step forward, the analysis first suggests two areas in which to intervene.First of all, identify a governance system to monitor the progress of the work and avoid a "removal of responsibility of the structures responsible for implementing the Plan".Secondly, the think tank asks the government to indicate a vision of decarbonisation and development of the country.In other words, a concrete strategy.Which takes into account the opportunities and risks "of a global transition in which Italy must play a leading role".

Photo credits:ANSA/Riccardo Antimiani | The Minister of the Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto during the National Youth celebration in Rome (30 June 2023)