EC approves Italy's plan to aid 4.6 GW of new renewables

Italy has received the approval of the European Commission (EC) for a state aid measure that will support the addition of 4,590 MW of new renewable power generation capacity.

The scheme envisages holding competitive bidding processes in Italy to award two-way contracts for difference (CfDs) for each kWh of electricity produced and fed into the grid by new plants running on technologies such as geothermal, offshore wind (floating or fixed), thermodynamic solar, floating solar and marine energy, as well as biogas and biomass.

The projects that emerge successful from the tender will need to be executed in a period of 31 to 60 months. The state aid measure will run until December 31, 2028, and will be financed through a levy included in the electricity bills of final consumers.

The Commission said in a statement it found that the proposed scheme is “necessary and appropriate for Italy to meet the European and national climate targets” and that its “positive effects outweigh any potential distortion of competition and trade in the EU.”

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