Italy’s parliament voted on March 31 to delay the closure of the country’s coal-fired power stations by over a decade, pushing the shutdown back from 2025 to 2038. The move is said to be Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s response to rising energy costs and supply risks linked to the ongoing conflict in Iran.
Italy currently has four coal-fired power stations, two on the mainland and two in Sardinia. The Torrevaldaliga Nord power plant in Civitavecchia, the Brindisi Sud (Federico II) power plant in Apulia and the Sulcis power plant in Sardinia are all owned by Enel, the country’s largest utility. The Fiume Santo thermoelectric power plant in Sardinia is owned by EP Produzione. Both Torrevaldaliga and Brindisi are dormant and lost authorization to burn coal in January, while the two plants in Sardinia were earmarked for closure in 2028-2029, once the island was electrically linked to the mainland via a new submarine cable.
The country originally pledged to phase out coal-fired generation by the end of 2025 as part of EU climate commitments, but Rome said it may be forced to use its coal-fired power stations if gas prices continue upwards. Energy minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin has previously indicated that Torrevaldaliga and Brindisi could be reactivated if the conflict in the Middle East were to provoke an energy crisis.
The bill extending the phase-out was approved by the lower house of parliament and now goes to the Senate, where experts expect it to pass, as the ruling coalition has a majority.
Source: www.coalage.com
