Solar panels on farmland, tug-of-war between Lollobrigida and Pichetto Fratin

There is a tug-of-war in the government over solar panels on farmland between Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida and Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin. In the draft decree of the Ministry of Agriculture. led by the former, which will be taken to the Council of Ministers on Monday 6 May, the road is blocked to the installation of photovoltaic systems on the ground, whose development has been at a standstill for almost two years. The Ministry of the Environment states that 'the proposal is not supported'. Energy business associations are up in arms, with Elettricità Futura and Utilitalia writing to the ministers to 'reconsider' the decision. While Coldiretti, which has always been against solar panels in the fields, defends the measure. In the late afternoon, Pichetto threw water on the fire: the two ministries, he wrote, 'are talking to find the best formulation'.

The article of the measure on the launch pad thus seems to be entering into the delicate issue of the identification of suitable areas, the definition criteria of which are contained in an inter-ministerial decree of the Ministry of the Environment (in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Agriculture) that has been in the water for two years. The intention seems to be to overcome all the discussions that have been going on for months between ministries and regions in order to establish that agricultural land is to be considered unsuitable areas. But it is an intent, because in substance the rule does not seem well written. Article 6 states that 'areas classified as agricultural by current urban plans are areas that are not suitable for the installation of photovoltaic systems with ground-mounted modules, as per Article 6-bis, letter b) of Legislative Decree no. 28 of 3 March 2011. The authorisation procedures in progress at the date of entry into force of this decree are concluded pursuant to the regulations in force'. It is not very clear whether the plants in question are already built, because the reference to the 2011 law concerns plants that have already obtained the Dila, the declaration of commencement of work, and therefore have already been built.

'The proposal is not supported': this is how sources in the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security commented on the ban on solar panels on farmland contained in the draft decree of the Ministry of Agriculture that will be brought before the Council of Ministers on Monday 6 May. In February, the Ministry of the Environment had passed a decree on 20-year incentives for agri-voltaics.

In order to protect national agriculture, a decisive stop must be put to wild photovoltaics, with the covering of entire productive agricultural areas with expanses of hectares of panels on the ground. This is what Coldiretti calls for in a note, noting that these are "installations often built by speculative investment funds and made possible by a regulatory far west that stems from the absence of land governance rules". Coldiretti added that it is "not against renewables, as demonstrated by the strong participation in the Pnnr measure for photovoltaic plants on the roofs of stables and farmsteads".

Elettricità Futura, the association of electricity companies, and Utilitalia, the federation of utilities, have taken a different stance: they have written a joint letter to Ministers Lollobrigida and Pichetto asking them to "reconsider" the ban on agri-voltaics contained in a Ministry of Agriculture decree that will be brought before the Italian cabinet on Monday. The rule, they write in the letter, "would determine a setback for the investments needed to achieve the energy transition objectives set by the government itself and the related positive economic and employment effects".