Pichetto puts the brakes on the renewable energy commissioner; Confindustria pushes ahead: “Extraordinary powers are needed”

Industrialists are not giving up on energy: “We need someone with extraordinary powers to overcome vetoes and speed up procedures,” Aurelio Regina, Confindustria’s vice-president responsible for energy, tells Il Foglio. We contacted him following comments by Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, who yesterday, in an interview with La Stampa, expressed his doubts about the possibility of appointing a commissioner for renewables: “I don’t think the Prime Minister wants to be overruled on a political decision.” And on the idea that the role might go to former minister Roberto Cingolani, Pichetto said: “Cingolani may be a physicist, but I can’t see him travelling around Italy with a commissioner’s briefcase, issuing authorisations across our twenty regions.” A cutting remark.

The news was reported by Il Foglio last Thursday: to give a boost to renewable energy projects, the name of Leonardo’s former CEO is viewed favourably both by a section of the industrial sector and in certain circles at Palazzo Chigi. “It is not for us to comment on individual candidates. The relevant bodies will assess them,” Regina replies when we ask for his assessment of the candidate. But he does not back down on the need for an independent figure, recalling the experience of the ZES Unica, which “worked very well precisely because of the presence of a commissioner”. On the other hand, for Confindustria, “energy is a matter of national security for businesses. And there are around 4,000 renewable energy concessions and plants currently on hold due to bureaucracy and local opposition,” he emphasises. To speed things up, industrialists are calling for extraordinary powers. “For us, energy must fall within the state’s strategic remit. Hence our call for a commissioner to unblock the authorisations.”

Increasing supply is one of the top priorities highlighted by the vice-president, alongside the expansion of networks and connections and the use of tools capable of protecting businesses from market fluctuations, such as long-term contracts for electricity and gas. Then there is nuclear power, “indispensable in the medium to long term to guarantee a continuous, zero-emission energy supply”. But without, of course, leaving renewables behind. Regina appeals to the regions (and to all political parties) responsible for mapping out suitable areas where renewable energy plants can be built: “Act quickly, as soon as possible”.

On the subject of energy, through its ups and downs, Confindustria and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have forged an understanding in recent years. The vice-president acknowledges this: “The government has shown commitment and taken significant initiatives, which we have described as historic. I am referring to the regulations on long-term contracts, the measure to lower the cost of electricity by removing the ETS price on non-CO₂-emitting sources, the gas release scheme, and the elimination of the spread between TTF and PSV to reduce the cost of gas and electricity. But also the move to return to nuclear power.” Yet several of these initiatives remain on paper. After these four years, the problem remains. “The issue is structural because Italian businesses continue to pay much more for energy than their competitors in other countries, and this jeopardises competitiveness, investment and production,” argues the vice-president based at Viale dell’Astronomia.

For industries that consume large amounts of energy and emit equally high levels of CO₂, the most intractable issue remains that of the ETS, on which this government has managed to reopen the debate in Brussels without, however, succeeding in bringing about a fundamental overhaul. “The stabilisation reserve needs to be reviewed to prevent volatility and reduce costs; at a push, one could even envisage a cap on the price of CO₂, as is already provided for under the ETS applicable to buildings and transport,” proposes Regina, who continues: “The benchmarks need to be revised, as they cannot be the same for all countries given that energy systems differ, and resources must be allocated entirely to businesses for decarbonisation. The French proposal to revise the ETS benchmarks for heat and fuel should be viewed positively, but particular attention must be paid to the most severely affected production sectors. There are competitive sectors, such as the ceramics industry, which have already invested in decarbonisation and now risk being forced out of the market. The transition – as the message repeated for years between Palazzo Chigi and Viale dell’Astronomia goes – must support industry, not cause it to shut down.” Commissioner, you take care of it.