Mediterranean Action Plan

ITALY - National Study Report
in supporting the national policies to achieve the targets by regional and local initiatives and
measures.
Table 6 RE technologies and indicated policies, strategies and production targets up to 2008-2012
1997 2002 2006 2008/2012
Source/technology MWe TWh MWe TWh MWe TWh MWe TWh
Hydro > 10 MW 13942 33.47 14300 34.32 14500 34.8 15000 36
Hydro = 10 MW 2187 8.12 2.400 8.88 2600 9.62 3000 11.1
Geothermal 559 3.90 650 4.78 700 5.14 800 5.9
Wind 119 0.12 700 1.4 1400 2.8 2500 5
Solar 16 0.01 25 0.03 100 0.11 300 0.3
Biomass and biogas 192 0.57 380 2.28 800 4.80 2300 13.8
Waste 89 0.25 350 1.75 500 2.50 800 4.0
Total 17104 46.44 18805 53.44 20600 59.77 24.700 76.1
Currently, support for renewable energy is based on:
Market-based mechanism of “green certificates” for electricity production;
National and regional financial contribution;
RECS and certifications;
National and EC funds for R&D;
Fiscal incentives.
Direct incentives in capital law are today mainly competence of regional and local authorities,
while central government is consolidating market-based mechanisms, fiscal incentives and
laws prescriptions (such as in the building sector).
2.1.3 Electricity production from renewable energy sources
One of the most important legislative decrees introducing new incentives for electricity
produced from renewable energy sources was decree 79 of 16 March 1999, concerning the
restructuring of the electricity sector in compliance with Directive 96/92/EC. In particular, it
introduced:
In article 11, the scheme to incentive the electricity production from renewable energy
sources, called “green certificates mechanism”;
The priority in dispatching electricity from renewable energy sources;
Transitory norms for the CIP6/92 power plants, both those already connected to the grid
and those that will be connected in the next future;
Specific incentives to the electricity from renewable energy sources. Regions will manage
the funds according to a mechanism based on call for tender system.
Another important piece of legislation supporting renewables for electricity production is
legislative decree n. 387 of 29 December 2003, implementing the European directive
2001/77/EC on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in the
internal electricity market. This decree introduced additional measures improving incentives
and supporting Renewables.
For instance, article 4 set the annual increase of 0.35% for the minimum obligation quota of
electricity produced from renewables to be fed into the national grid, in the period 2004 to
2006 (see paragraph 2.2.2 for the explanation of the mechanism). A provision was also
introduced whereby the Minister for Production Activities (currently Minister for Economical
Development), in concert with the Minister for the Environment and Territory (currently
Minister for environment, Land and Sea), having consulted the Unified Conference, was to
issue decrees establishing further increases of the minimum quota for the three-year period
2007-2009 and the three-year period 2010 - 2012.
With regard to specific sources, article 7 of Legislative Decree 387/03 stipulated that further
decrees would lay down the incentive criteria to support electricity production from solar
sources.
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