ROME, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The Italian government has filed an appeal against a law enacted in December by the regional government in Sardinia that imposed strict constraints on the expansion of renewable energy projects on the island.
This appeal, recently announced by the cabinet, marks the latest development in an ongoing conflict between the central government and Sardinia regarding green energy initiatives.
Sardinia's opposition to green projects mirrors a similar resistance seen in the wind energy sector.
According to the government, Certain provisions of the regional law are at odds with national and European energy regulations, as well as laws safeguarding cultural and scenic heritage, asserting that Sardinia's regulations also breach the Italian constitution.
In response to the appeal by the right-wing government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Sardinia President Alessandra Todde of the opposition Five Star Movement rejected the challenge, vowing that the regional administration would present its defense in court.
The Sardinian administration recently approved legislation designating specific areas where renewable energy developers could expedite the permitting process.
Critics, such as the Italian environmental organization Legambiente, argue that the law imposes severe restrictions, including 7-kilometer protective zones around sites of natural, historical, or cultural significance, effectively rendering nearly the entire region unviable for such projects.
Alleanza per il fotovoltaico, a consortium of solar energy developers in Italy, expressed concerns that the regional law targets both upcoming and already authorized projects, setting a worrisome precedent for other regional governments.
The Sardinian administration aims to safeguard the island's landscape, agriculture, and tourism from what it perceives as 'speculators' who acquire land inexpensively for renewable projects with intentions to sell for profit upon approval.