Boom in requests for wind and solar in Maremma, Giani opens up to the moratorium on renewables:«We are evaluating all options»

The Tuscan governor comments to Open on the protest by farmers and citizens of the Grosseto area, who are asking for a stop to the new plants.But compared to Sardinia, he adds, "ours will be a more nuanced approach"

After Sardinia, the battle to slow down the rush to install wind turbines and solar panels is taking place in Tuscany.More precisely in Val di Cornia, in the province of Grosseto.The region has 43 projects related to the construction of renewable energy plants, all currently under evaluation.Of these, over half (25) are concentrated in the Lower Maremma, where mayors, farmers and local associations are coming together to ask the Region to stop the authorization processes.«We are in favor of photovoltaics, but on roofs or in industrial areas, not in the fields», specified Marco Giannini, a 35-year-old farmer, at Corriere Fiorentino. The battle, his and that of other citizens of the Grosseto area, has received the support of many local administrators but also of himself Eugenio Giani, president of the Tuscany Region, who a Open comment:«We will do everything we can to find a solution that respects the identity of the Maremma without slowing down our path towards sustainability».

Farmers' opposition

The request received by the Tuscan governor from the «Terre di Val di Cornia» committee, made up largely of young farmers, is as follows:follow in the footsteps of Alessandra Todde, president of the Sardinia Region, and approve an 18-month moratorium on authorizations for renewable plants.A path that is anything but obvious, if only because the regional law approved by Todde was recently challenged by the Meloni government before the Constitutional Court.Regarding the possibility of approving a moratorium on wind and solar energy in Tuscany too, Giani admits that it is "a delicate issue", but nevertheless appears to be a possibility."We are evaluating all options, including those proposed by the farmers and citizens of the Grosseto area", assures the governor.In any case, continues Giani, the Region will continue to "listen to local communities and make decisions that best protect the territory".

The race for renewables in Maremma

Of the 43 projects currently being evaluated in Tuscany, 19 concern the construction of wind farms, 8 of photovoltaic systems and 16 of agrivoltaic systems, where the solar panels are not installed on the roof of a building but in a field (often raised from the ground , so as to allow the normal carrying out of agricultural activity).Twenty-five authorization requests fall in the Grosseto area, 7 in the province of Livorno, 5 in the Arezzo area, 3 in the province of Siena, 2 in the province of Florence and 1 in the province of Pistoia.Marco Bonucci, coordinator of the «Terre di Val di Cornia» committee, explained to the Corriere Fiorentino that energy companies are willing to pay four or five times the market price for land in order to be able to win a few hectares to build energy production plants.«The closer they are to the Terna station where they can connect, the more they are willing to pay, up to 170 thousand euros per hectare.They go in search of lowland land and approach farmers in difficulty.Hence the proliferation of mega plants", explained Bonucci.

The decree suitable areas

The current regulatory framework requires the regions to express their opinion for or against new wind or solar parks, but the final word lies with the Council of Ministers.Last July, the long-awaited "suitable areas decree" was approved, which requires the Regions to draw up a list of the most suitable areas to host wind turbines and photovoltaic panels within 180 days.«We want to identify specific areas which, due to their landscape, agricultural and tourist characteristics, are not suitable for hosting high-impact plants.The lower Maremma is an area of ​​great value, and any decision taken will be based on an accurate analysis and on dialogue with the mayors and local communities", explains Eugenio Giani again to Open.And regarding the possibility of introducing ad hoc measures for the Grosseto area, the Tuscan governor specifies that the Region is not thinking of a "generalized ban" for all new wind and solar plants.Rather, he explains, "we are considering a more nuanced approach."

The Tuscan energy transition

Regardless of how the situation in Lower Maremma evolves, Giani appears satisfied with what his region has done so far in terms of energy policies.«In Tuscany we have already demonstrated that it is possible to increase the production of renewable energy without compromising our unique landscape», points out the governor.To date, approximately 35% of regional electricity needs are covered by geothermal energy, a system capable of exploiting the natural heat of the subsoil discovered for the first time in Tuscany.A path that Giani says he wants to focus on in the future too:«We will continue to invest in technologies that have a lower impact, such as geothermal and hydroelectric, and to carefully plan the installation of wind and photovoltaic systems».The objective, concludes the governor, is to be able to transform Tuscany into "a model of sustainability, where the energy transition goes hand in hand with the protection of our extraordinary natural and cultural heritage".

Cover photo:An agrivoltaic system (Robero Dani/Dreamstime)