Italian government appeals Sardinia's law restricting green projects

The Italian government filed a complaint against a law that was passed by the regional government of Sardinia in December, which placed strict limits on the development and implementation of renewable energy projects on the island.

The cabinet announced the appeal late on Tuesday, and it is the latest in a tug of war between the central government, and Sardinia, over the development of green energy.

Sardinia’s opposition to green projects is similar to the backlash against wind developers in Galicia, a Spanish region.

In a press release, the government claimed that "certain provisions of the regional legislation are in conflict" with the state and European legislation regarding energy and cultural heritage. It also claimed that Sardinia’s rules violated the Italian Constitution.

Alessandra Tode, the president of Sardinia, who is a member of the opposition Five Star Movement and represents the Five Star Movement in the government, has rebuffed this move by Prime Minister Giorgia Melons rightist administration, saying that the regional administration will defend itself in court.

Last month, the Sardinia administration approved a bill that identifies areas of the country where green energy developers will be able to benefit from an expedited permitting process.

Legambiente, an Italian environmental non-profit organisation, said that the law imposes "particularly restrictive rules" such as 7-kilometer buffer zones around properties considered valuable for natural or historic reasons. This makes almost 100% of regional territory unsuitable.

Alleanza per il fotovoltaico is a group of solar developers in Italy that said in a press release that the regional laws targeted not only those projects already granted permits but also new ones. This set a dangerous precedent for other regional administrations.

Sardinia's regional administration has taken steps to protect its landscape, agriculture, and tourism from what it refers to as'speculators,' who buy cheap land to build green projects, only to sell them once they are approved. Reporting by Francesca Landini, Angelo Amante and Keith Weir

(source: Reuters)