Together with the clean energy industry to help maximise the benefits of renewables and storage in Italy

Giorgia Epicoco, Institutional Affairs & Policies Director, Zelestra Italia

 At Zelestra Italia, we are confident about scaling and growing ambitiously in the country, with major plans to double our total pipeline of multi-technology projects this year to 2.8 GW, supporting the needs of our customers and of the country.

This week we joined with a group of 12 independent power producers (IPPs) engaged in the development of new renewable capacity and storage systems to write an open letter seeking clear and coordinated guidance from policymakers to support the sustainable growth of the electricity system, and to unlock all the potential economic benefits of clean energy.

In the text, the signatories noted that current policies could go further to help Italy move faster beyond fossil fuels in the electricity mix, and remove the risks associated with importing these fuel sources from international markets, including cost impacts.

The companies made it clear that renewables and storage are already the most competitive technologies in the market, as evidenced by the results of recent auctions. They stressed the importance of backing clean energy over fossil fuels in the short, medium, and long-term to unlock all the investment possibilities and maximise the economic benefits of clean energy.

The open letter was signed by Absolute Energy, BW ESS, ContourGlobal, Encavis, GreenGo, Matrix Renewables, Nadara, OX2, Recurrent Energy, Sphera Energy, Sonnedix, and Zelestra, making four proposals:

• • • • · Swift definition of a stable, multi-year calendar consistent with NECP and NRRP for RES and BESS auctions, accompanied by regulatory certainty and faster permitting and network access.
      • · Extension of MACSE to the whole country and a guarantee that future auctions will be fully competitive, introducing mechanisms that ensure equal opportunities for new operators and preserving technological neutrality in the Capacity Market.
      • · Development of market PPAs that are also accessible to SMEs, favouring purchasing consortia and providing for the possibility for the GSE to facilitate access and strengthen the bankability of projects.
      • · Avoid distortions of the ETS mechanism that penalize renewable energy consumers by allocating the cost “in proportion to the actual emissions content of each energy supply.

We are pleased to be working with the wider industry to help maximise the benefits of clean energy in Italy, and we look forward to Zelestra’s continued growth and successes in the country in the years ahead.