The National Plan Energy Climate (PNIEC) of Italy acquires its definitive size. Among the 2030 targets, 39.4% of renewables on final consumption, which rises to 63.4% considering only electricity demand
The Meloni Government delivered the new PNIEC Italy, the Integrated National Plan for Energy and Climate, to the European Commission on 1st July 2024. The document, in its 491 pages, revises and updates the text approved in 2019, trying to raise the energy-environmental commitments for 2030. This is a necessary revision in light of what is required by the new Community rules, but which is not convincing to the utmost. Both in terms of emissions and renewable energy.
To understand the scope of national commitments poured into the new PNIEC 2024, we must take a few steps backward.
What is the PNIEC 2030?
The PNIEC, an acronym for Piano Nazionale Intregrato Energia e Clima, is the instrument EU countries require to define policies and measures for achieving key objectives. These targets, set by 2030, are:
- a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions;
- a minimum share of renewable energy in consumption;
- an improvement in energy efficiency;
- a better development of electrical interconnections.
Established by the EU Regulation 2018/1999, the plans should cover 2021-2030, considering the longer-term perspective. What must they contain? Firstly, an overview of the procedure followed to define the PNIEC itself. Then, a description of the objectives, targets, and national contributions to the dimension of the Energy Union and decarbonisation, along with reporting measures and interventions to them.
The work began six years ago. Twenty-seven delivered the first drafts at the beginning of 2019 to be evaluated by the European Commission. They therefore adopted the recommendations of the EU Executive, and the final text was adopted at the end of the same year.
But soon the Community targets on energy and climate, the compass for national routes to 2030, have changed. Hence the need to help PNIEC Italy and the other Member States to re-align policies, and two new deadlines. That of 30 June 2023, for the delivery to Brussels of the updated draft of PNIEC and that of 1 July 2024 for the final text.
PNIEC Italy, the 2030 targets on renewables
On the renewable energy front, the 2024 Climate Energy Plan reports a target of 39.4% on gross final energy consumption. This is 9.4 percent more than the PNIEC 2019. Estimating in detail for that date 43 Mtep from FER out of 110 Mteps total consumed. By comparison, in 2023, Italian renewables covered about 19.9% of final energy consumption.
The objective is further differentiated between the electrical, thermal and transport segments.
Electricity sector, target 2030
In the electricity sector, the share of consumption covered by renewable sources is expected to reach 63.4% by 2030, driving the entire FER sector. This would mean renewable electricity production by 2030 of approximately 237 TWh, including about 10 TWh intended for the production of green hydrogen.
PNIEC 2030: the new renewable capacity
What does this mean in terms of installed power? The new National Plan for Energy and Climate reports a renewable capacity in operation of 131 GW adding the contribution of wind, photovoltaic, hydroelectric, geothermal and bioenergy. It is worth pointing out that this is about 36 GW higher than the 2019 PNIEC, but it seems to underestimate the national possibilities. Just think that of these 131 GW active only 74 GW would be new capacity built in these years. A value even lower than the development objective inserted in the Decree Appropriate Areas (80 GW).
But let’s see in detail the contribution of each renewable source to the 2030 target of PNIEC Italy.
- For solar energy the Government has set a total installed capacity of 79.2 GW of 80 MW of solar at concentration. Excluding the contribution of thermodynamics – which appears to be in sharp decline compared to the text of the old PNIEC – photovoltaic would grow by 57 GW.
- For wind power it is said to be 28.1 GW in operation by 2030, of which 2.1 GW of offshore plants. In other words, the segment should install 17 GW of new capacity.
- The contribution of hydroelectric and geothermal is growing compared to the previous Plan, with a target capacity in operation, respectively, of 19.4 GW and 1 GW. Revised down the contribution of bioenergy to the electricity sector with an installed power of 3.2 GW (al momento siamo oltre i 4 GW).
The text also explicitly references innovative technologies by highlighting an objective (including the 131 GW) of more than 5 GW of new capacity. The list includes floating wind, floating photovoltaic, agrivoltaic, marine energies, and advanced geothermal technology.
