New projects are giving a boost to renewable energy in Basilicata
The Basilicata Region’s commitment to renewable energy – in terms of its development across the region and its interconnection with national infrastructure – has grown steadily. According to the latest available data, Basilicata has (up to the end of 2025) approximately 2,548 MW of installed capacity from renewable sources, accounting for 3.1 per cent of the national total. Looking at the individual renewable energy sectors, it is evident that installed capacity in the wind power sector stands at approximately 1,608 MW (63 per cent of the regional total), whilst solar photovoltaic accounts for 27.4 per cent of the regional total, hydroelectric power for 5.9 per cent, and bioenergy 3.7 per cent. Looking solely at the year 2025, less than approximately 180 MW of new renewable capacity was installed in Basilicata (compared with approximately 150 MW in 2024). Electricity generation from renewable sources accounts for approximately 90 per cent of the total electricity produced in the region. The average annual installation of renewable energy capacity in Basilicata from 2021 to 2025 was just over 115 MW, totalling 583 MW of new capacity installed by the end of 2025 (623 MW as at 31 March 2026). Despite the progress made in recent years, the regional administration is not slowing down. On the contrary, the Region’s commitment can be clearly seen in its response to the latest initiatives launched at European level to boost the installation of new renewable energy generation systems. After the European Commission opened up the possibility for Member States to use additional fiscal scope within the public budget for investments in energy from renewable sources, Basilicata wasted no time. In fact, Basilicata ranks fourth among Italian regions in terms of proposed initiatives: only Puglia, Sicily and Sardinia are ahead of it. Construction sites are already up and running across the region. The German energy group RWE has commenced work on the Serra Giannina wind farm in the municipality of Potenza: six turbines of seven megawatts each, totalling 42 megawatts, which, from 2027, are expected to generate energy for around 39,000 households. The same group is also building the 45-megawatt Venusia wind farm in Basilicata, spanning the municipalities of Venosa and Maschito. Meanwhile, the Spanish company Iberdrola has acquired a 40-megawatt wind farm in the Melfi area, a short distance from the site where it is building the 20-megawatt Montelungo solar farm. With the investments already made and those currently underway, the region already generates around 90 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources. However, further investment is needed in storage capacity – that is, the facilities that store the energy produced and redistribute it when needed. At present, the region has a total capacity of 54 megawatts, representing 0.4 per cent of the national total: a figure set to rise, given that the region has recently granted the Single Authorisation for two BESS plants, one with a feed-in capacity of 198 MW in Melfi and a second system with a capacity of 150 MW in Picerno.
