'Sardinia energy hub: finding the right balance'

It's all about balance: renewables, natural gas, hydrogen and nuclear fusion with mini-reactors. The right compromise to reach the goal of decarbonisation and ensure energy for households and businesses. And create the conditions for Sardinia to 'become an energy hub'. Maurizio De Pascale, engineer and president of Confindustria Sardegna, does not mince his words when he talks about the topic that sees committees and mayors in the streets against projects for the construction of renewable energy plants, and the Region engaged in the definition of a dedicated regulatory measure. 'We certainly need to examine the contribution of renewables in the field of energy sources in Sardinia with a very secular and objective approach that is dictated not by Italian regulations but by what is being done in Europe and the world. Turning to the decision to increase the contribution from renewables to 6.2 gigawatts, the president of the industrialists clarifies: "This means that on-shore and off-shore photovoltaic and wind power plants will have to be implemented. Arrangements are being made to ensure that the Italian grid is balanced'.

This also includes the Tyrrhenian link, the double submarine connection between Sicily, Sardinia, and the peninsula, which is also expected to 'transfer energy from Sardinia to the peninsula and Europe'. "In Sardinia, on some summer and windy days, we almost reach self-sufficiency for electricity, also in light of the fact that many companies have stopped production, thus decreasing energy requirements. In any case, since Sardinia is part of Italy and Europe, we need to think not in terms of what Sardinia needs but in broader terms'.

Then there is the horizon to draw again. Also in the light of the fact that blocking the relaunch of numerous manufacturing activities, such as the aluminium sector, or new investments in zinc and lithium, is the energy question. "We cannot imagine a tomorrow of electricity alone," De Pascale argues, "but we must think of an energy mix made up of renewables, natural gas, which will be a source of energy supply and a necessary element to make both Sardinian companies and society as a whole competitive. And then the hydrogen game, which needs energy from renewables to be produced. "Today we are experimenting with mixtures of hydrogen (around 10-15%) and methane,' he argues, 'the pipelines that are being built and the backbone will be the best vehicle for energy transformation. Nuclear fusion power also appears in the distance. 'When the minister came, he said he was very interested in the latest generation of nuclear power, fusion, which allows mini-reactors under the roof,' he continues, 'plants that are beginning to come to light in the US. It is a process that will take quite a long time'.As for suitable areas, De Pascale clarifies that the framework must be regulated, where there are no landscape and 'disturbance' assets. "We believe that they should not be the sites of industrial consortia that were created for production and where interventions for self-consumption can be allowed,' he concludes. In addition, there should be a fast track to assess any off-shore wind farms with due care. Today there are floating ones that can coexist and do not damage the seabed'.

Meanwhile, on the renewable energy front, the Region is also moving. "We are working to define the issue of the Prime Minister's Decree,' explains Emanuele Cani, councillor for Industry, 'and we are convinced that a dossier that has been open for too long must be closed, also because the resolution of the energy issue is necessary for the relaunch of the industrial sector: we are thinking of Eurallumina, the ceramics industry, other energy-intensive companies, and other companies that would like to set up but need gas. Then there is the game of suitable areas. "We are waiting for the minister to publish the decree, then we will proceed with what is within our competence and with the will to protect the entire regional territory.