This authorization for the wind farm overlooking the Basilica of Saccargia is a stinging one. Twenty-seven new towers between Nulvi and Ploaghe will replace the fifty-one old wind turbines, increasing the power from 0.85 megawatts per blade to 4.5 megawatts. A blunder by the Region, which—in the 2024 moratorium later rejected by the Constitutional Court for unconstitutionality—did not oppose the expansion of the facility. In fact, it authorized it with a silent consent. Then, in the wake of the protests, an attempt was made to stop it. Too late. The mistake had been made, the PUAR, the Single Regional Authorization Procedure, was mandatory, "against which we are now filing an appeal," announces Maria Grazia Demontis, president of the Gallura Coordination, one of the civic movements opposing the onslaught of renewables.

The demonstration

The legal battle won't be the only form of resistance: there's also a renewed call for committees and associations. "After Ittiri and Cala Finanza," Demontis emphasizes, "we'll meet again in Saccargia on the evening of July 31st. Everyone's presence is needed. Only a large-scale mobilization can raise awareness among the judiciary: we've filed a complaint about the Nulvi-Ploaghe repowering project. We believe it constitutes serious illegality, and we hope the destruction in front of the basilica will be stopped. We can't think of saving the coasts while neglecting the interior; energy speculation will only accelerate depopulation."

The contested parks

The €170 million investment between Nulvi and Ploaghe, presented in 2018 by Erg Wind Sardegna srl, is "completed," according to the website of the Ministry of the Environment (MASE). "The new wind turbines," it is stated on page 17 of the final project, "are certainly larger than the existing ones" and will reach "a height of 180 meters." Their total power is 121.5 megawatts, still in the Nurra area, where the fight continues some forty kilometers away. "Save Su Dragone" in Ittiri is the title of the petition promoted by the "Comitadu No eolicu palas a terra," a group active for two and a half years against energy speculation. Activists have launched a petition against "the construction of a 470-megawatt lithium battery plant in a heavily anthropized agricultural area. We are," they explain, "a group of citizens, farmers, entrepreneurs, and residents of the affected areas." They announce that "the authorization will be issued by August 1st: the BESS at Su Dragone is a problem that concerns everyone."