The decision on gas and oil brings a government commissioner for renewables back into the limelight (by circumventing Pichetto’s ‘no’)

Following the Cabinet’s approval of legislation establishing commissioners to speed up the extraction of gas and hydrocarbons across the country, the government is considering whether this might be the opportune moment to revive a long-standing initiative: the commissioner for renewable energy. After all, Confindustria had put forward this request to Meloni months ago. And it is no coincidence that, in the last few hours, the president of Confindustria, Emanuele Orsini, has once again raised the prospect, in no uncertain terms, whilst on a mission to South America alongside Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Antonio Tajani. Yesterday, on the sidelines of the rice festival in Vercelli, Meloni called for, from an energy perspective, “the defence of the nation’s autonomy”. The Prime Minister continues to look to a figure such as Roberto Cingolani. But that is not all. On the 17th, she will be visiting Norway.

Back in August, Il Foglio reported on plans to appoint a special commissioner for renewable energy. It is an idea that has been circulating within the government for some time. In the spring, the possibility of a more comprehensive commissioner for ‘energy security’ had also been mooted. This was not particularly welcomed by Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin’s camp. It was no coincidence that he pointed out a curious circumstance to his colleagues in the government: the official title of his ministry is, in fact, ‘Environment and Energy Security’. This is also why, in recent weeks, when Roberto Cingolani’s name began to circulate, the Forza Italia representative played it down: “I don’t think the Prime Minister wants to be told what to do on a political decision. Cingolani may be a physicist, but I can’t see him travelling round Italy with a commissioner’s briefcase, issuing authorisations across our twenty regions,” he told La Stampa. In reality, as seen with gas and hydrocarbon extraction (where complications are certainly greater), the majority considers the role of commissioner to be the most appropriate means of speeding up procedures. This is another reason why a counterpart commissioner for renewable energy could be useful in clearing the backlog of over 4,000 concessions for renewable energy plants that have become bogged down due to appeals, delays and bureaucratic inertia on the part of local authorities. The example often cited is that of Sardinia, where the Todde administration has put most of the projects on hold.

Viale dell’Astronomia itself has estimated the value of unlocking these concessions at over 50 billion euros. What is certain is that the appointment of a specific commissioner will feature among the proposals put forward by Confindustria to the political parties in the run-up to the elections. Cingolani remains a hot favourite based on his CV (it would also be a way of compensating him for his abrupt departure from Leonardo), even though the former Minister for Energy Transition continues to tell those who ask him that he has “other plans”, starting with enjoying his retirement travelling by motorbike, whilst also expressing doubts about a body whose powers remain unclear. Should the decision be taken to proceed in this direction, the government would have its sights set on managers with extensive expertise in the sector: for example, those who have worked in state-owned companies. Meloni said yesterday in Vercelli that she was “confident that the new measure” on fuel could be introduced next week, one that is more targeted than the excise duty cut. “We must strive to produce as much energy as we are capable of; and so, whether it concerns nuclear power or the acceleration we authorised yesterday for the regions to grant licences for hydrocarbon extraction, what we are trying to do is defend this nation’s autonomy”, she went on to specify (whilst, together with Minister Lollobrigida, endorsing Maurizio Martina’s candidacy for Director-General of the FAO). We must accelerate, and we will accelerate.