Italy cuts red tape on green energy, clamps down on illegal plants
Rewrites after government statement and news conference
By Angelo Amante and Francesca Landini
ROME, Aug 7 (Reuters) -Italy passed legislation on Wednesday to streamline approval for renewable energy projects, ministers said, as part of a drive to boost green power production and meet the country's decarbonisation goals.
The right-wing government of Giorgia Meloni has committed to increase solar energy capacity by roughly 50 gigawatt (GW) by 2030. Last year, it added nearly 6 GW in green capacity, mainly through the development of small solar projects.
The new rules lay down three different procedures to obtain approval for new plants, depending on their size, type and location, a government statement said.
"We switch from five procedures to three ... the length of the approval process is considerably reduced," Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin told a news conference.
A draft bill seen by Reuters ahead of the cabinet meeting said small plants - such as solar projects with a capacity below 10 megawatts - would not need a permit.
However, small green projects built in protected natural areas or on protected properties will still need to go through an approval process, in a blow to the developers who had wanted such projects to be exempt.
Alongside the streamlined permit procedure, the draft bill showed the government plans to impose fines of between 1,000 and 150,000 euros ($1,091 - $163,650) on renewable energy plants built illegally.
Renewable developers in the past have criticised the government for passing legislation that curbs the installation of solar panels on agricultural land.
Agricultural lobby groups, who are key supporters of Meloni's government, have long called for limits on solar panels, saying they take away land that can be used for cultivation.
($1 = 0.9166 euros)
Reporting by Angelo Amante and Francesca Landini
Editing by Christina Fincher
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