A €1.6 billion business that weighs heavily on the pockets of Sardinian citizens. Engineer Giovanni Cossu explains how the massive wind and photovoltaic speculation currently underway on the island works.
The expert starts from the beginning, recalling that "our island has allocated a renewable energy quota of 6.2 gigawatts, to be activated by 2030." However, the connection requests submitted on the island are for 44.98 gigawatts: "This means that the demand for plants is more than seven times greater than the regional decarbonization target."
Current scenario
Currently, the Sapei and Sacoi networks are active in Sardinia (with the latter currently being upgraded to version three). "Once the Tyrrhenian link is completed, at peak utilization, the ducts would be able to transport almost 21,000 gigawatt hours a year." Adding the island's approximately 8,400 gigawatt hours of electricity, the figure rises to 30,000, "thus with an annual surplus of 10,000, considering the connection requests submitted to Terna."
The business
And this is where the mechanisms of speculation come into play. "Once the projects are authorized," the engineer recalls, "plant owners are paid for their energy based on their declared production capacity, regardless of whether it's used or not."
"Sardinia's surplus of 10,000 gigawatt hours could generate average revenues of 80 million euros annually," and since the auction contracts last twenty years, "the business can be estimated at 1.6 billion."
A business at everyone's expense, given that "the energy costs deriving from so-called green sources are charged to our bills."
Alessandra Carta
