Renewables, Bolzano disputed 18 million incentives for 9 solar parks

Public funds amounting to approximately EUR 18 million were allegedly received for the construction of photovoltaic plants in the Vinschgau Valley: this is what emerged from the investigation conducted by the Silandro (Bolzano) Guardia di Finanza police as part of the Operation Solar Eclipse. As a result of the investigations, the Public Prosecutor's Office of the Court of Auditors issued an invitation to deduct against 19 people, accused of causing damage to the Treasury.

At the centre of the investigation is the construction of photovoltaic plants in the municipalities of Silandro and Prato allo Stelvio (both in the province of Bolzano) with the receipt of state incentives linked to renewable energy investments. The investigations by the investigating police led to the identification of nine solar parks, built on as many properties and belonging to four local families and two companies, which, however, on paper were split into 44 separate small systems, each with a power output of less than 50 kilowatts.

According to the investigators, the nature of real industrial projects carried out for business purposes was disguised in this way, by using nominees to make the plants (whose actual power output, in some cases, turned out to be over 500 kilowatts) appear to have been built by small families to meet domestic needs. In this way, the rules governing the construction of plants with a nominal capacity of more than 50 kilowatts were also circumvented, in order to gain access to more favourable incentives than those recognised for the construction and commissioning of industrial plants, as well as to benefit from less complex authorisation procedures.

Also decisive in ascertaining the facts were the overflights by the air section of the Gdf of Bolzano, which carried out photographic surveys from above of the plant sites. The addressees of the invitation to deduct, which also serves as an invitation to return the sums received, now have 45 days to submit pleadings, produce documentation, and request a hearing, before the summons is issued.