Enel Green Power Italia and Enel Produzione have been awarded in the fifth round of renewable energy source (RES) tenders called by the GSE (Gestore Servizi Energetici – Energy Service Provider) – from the “auctions” and “registers” quotas – for 41.2* MW, split between new renewable capacity and refurbishments of already operational hydroelectric plants. Of the total power awarded, 39.9* MW come from six new solar capacity projects, to be constructed in Emilia-Romagna and Sicily starting this year, as well as four refurbishments of existing hydroelectric plants in Piedmont and the Veneto, with construction works set to be carried out between 2021 and 2023. The remaining 1.3 MW relate to new renewable capacity from the “registers” quota, with five solar power projects, four of which will be built on the roofs of Enel facilities.
The fifth GSE auction of renewable energy sources recorded a total offering of only 98.9 MW with the awarding of projects for 73.7 MW, equal to just under 5% of the 1,582 MW of capacity made available under the “auction – new renewable capacity >1 MW” (Group A) quota.
“The outcome of the fifth GSE auction, with around 5% of available capacity assigned, a project offering significantly lower than the tender volumes and seeing the participation of only a few operators, is the lowest ever recorded,” said Salvatore Bernabei, CEO of Enel Green Power and Director and Head of Enel’s Global Power Generation business line. “This is a worrying situation for the development of renewables in Italy. The sluggishness of the authorization procedures and uncertainty over plant construction capacity is a restraint on the energy transition of this country, for which a solution must be found if we are to achieve the European carbon-neutral objectives and provide certainty to operators in an industry that is essential to the economic recovery.”
The construction of new renewable capacity and the refurbishment of existing plants in Italy form part of the Enel Group’s broader commitment to the growth of renewables and carbon neutrality. In this country, the Group’s target development of new renewable capacity between 2021 and 2023 is 1.5 GW.
Enel’s 2021-2023 Strategic Plan foresees a global increase in additional capacity from renewable energy sources of 19.5 GW, to reach a total capacity of 68 GW.
* includes the power value from hydroelectric concessions for refurbishments
