Renewables, the Calabrian traffic jam: many projects but few construction sites
by Nino Amadore
The Calabria of renewables lives within a paradox. It has a substantial installed base, strong planning pressure and industry-leading connections. But, from maps to connected plants, the race towards 2030 remains slow. The Region led by Roberto Occhiuto, with Marcello Minenna also councillor for energy, has a double challenge: to accompany photovoltaic, wind, hydroelectric, biomass and storage; to avoid an authorisation jungle of immature projects, disputes, local opposition, constraints and titles obtained more for resale than for construction. The Region aims to strengthen the connection with Terna, the distributor, the Ministry of the Environment and the Gse. The goal is an integrated information system to unite authorised plants, accumulations, projects and suitable areas: fewer projects in the dark, more consistent localisations, fewer conflicts. In short, streamlining to avoid bottlenecks.
Meanwhile, the renewable power already installed and in operation amounts to 3,346.72 megawatts: onshore wind 37%, solar 30%, hydro 27% and biomass 7%. However, new power remains to be realised: an additional 3,173 megawatts by 2030. As of January 2021, 546.13 megawatts have come into operation, 45.28% of the 2026 interim and just 17.21% of the final target.
There is no shortage of projects. There are 63 applications for single authorisations. To these are added 11 PAUR procedures. The market looks to Calabria, but the machine has to cope with complicated territory and lengthy procedures. In five years, 340 megawatts have been authorised: of these, 194.5 megawatts have passed at least to the start-up phase and, within this perimeter, 168 megawatts have already been realised. This leaves 145.5 megawatts authorised but with no works started and 26.5 megawatts started but not yet completed.
The figure confirms the fracture: authorisation does not mean building; building does not mean connecting; connecting does not mean always respecting the energy trajectory. After the title, another game opens up: financial closure, area acquisition, procurement, construction site and further clearances. Some acts, such as the seismic ones, require executive design, which was absent at the services conference. So the project remains formally ready, but not cantierabile.
The Calabrian framework adds obstacles: landscape protection, hydrogeological constraints, geomorphological instability, wooded areas, Natura 2000 sites, civic uses and land fragmentation. Municipal oppositions, negative opinions, disputes and prescriptions add up. Every plant becomes a balance between energy, territory and social acceptability.
