Renewables: projects totalling 1,146 MW awaiting authorisation in Emilia-Romagna

In the Ferrara countryside, there is plenty of sunshine, and no shortage of land either. On the ridges of the Apennines, however, the wind only reaches places where the terrain allows it, but landscape restrictions often hold it back. This is where the battle for renewables in Emilia-Romagna is being fought: an industrial, energy-intensive region, used to moving fast, but still lagging behind when it comes to green electricity. Barely 21 per cent of the region’s electricity generation comes from renewable sources, whilst its share of total energy consumption fluctuates between 15 and 18 per cent. The first figure is 1,146 MW. This is the capacity of the photovoltaic, agrivoltaic and wind power projects currently undergoing the VIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) procedure alone, without a single regional authorisation: 735 MW relate to agricultural solar power, and a further 411 MW to wind power.

The largest cluster is in Ferrara, where 627 MW of agrivoltaic capacity is concentrated: potential investments that highlight the conflict with the farming community. When it comes to wind power, the ranking changes: Parma leads the way with 136 megawatts, followed by Bologna with 107 and Rimini with 72. These figures are small compared to the large wind farms in the south, but significant in areas where windy locations are few and far between and often subject to planning restrictions. In addition to the regional figures, there is a second national package: around one gigawatt of offshore installations, comprising both wind and floating solar, with the national environmental impact assessment (VIA) already approved but still awaiting calls for tenders for FER 2 incentives: it is here that the Agnes offshore wind project in Ravenna stands out, one of the largest in Italia. Finally, there are seven approved national EIA (VIA) decisions, though without a single authorisation, for a further approximately 480 MW of photovoltaic capacity.

Vincenzo Colla, the regional vice-president responsible for the green economy, rejects, however, the idea that the region is at a standstill. “It is well known that Emilia-Romagna does not have the hydroelectric capacity of Lombardy, Veneto, the Aosta Valley and Piedmont, which allows for very high output,” he observes. On the subject of wind power, he adds: “There’s no point beating about the bush; there’s a territorial conflict between those who say it’s all good and those who say it’s all bad. We need to seek the broadest possible consensus.’ He is also referring to the Agnes project off the coast of Ravenna: ‘It already has all the necessary permits. We are just waiting for the tender to set a tariff suitable for securing the investment.’

Meanwhile, the Region is on track with the Pniec timetable. As at 31 May 2026, Emilia-Romagna had reached 88.79 per cent of its 2026 target for installed renewable electricity capacity: 281 MW remains to be installed by the end of the year, out of a total of 2,504 MW recorded since 2021. Terna reports that, in the first five months, an additional 223 MW of solar power capacity was installed, marking the third-highest growth rate after Sicily and Lombardy.

The turning point – at least in regulatory terms – should have come with the regional law on suitable areas, which Emilia-Romagna approved in May within the timeframe set by the legislation, and which identifies the zones where the roll-out of installations should be accelerated, prioritising industrial areas, rooftops, car parks and spaces already affected by development. The legislation also sets agricultural limits: a maximum of 1.5 per cent of the regional UAA (utilised agricultural area) and 2 per cent of the municipal UAA. “After delays that were partly due to national legislation, we passed the law in the region within two months,” Colla claims.