Italy’s Commitment To Ban Coal Creates a G7 Majority
Italy’s announcement that it will completely phase out coal by 2025 comes on the heels of similar commitments by France, Canada, and the UK, and means that four of the G7 have now pledged to go in the right direction.
Coal currently produces around 15% of Italy’s energy, the disappearance of which will mean a significant augmentation of solar and wind, which now combine for 13%.
One can speculate as to the underlying motivation. The Italian people take issue with the considerable air pollution in Rome as well as the industrialized parts of the country in the north. One might also surmise that they’re happy to live in a country that is showing active leadership in creating a better world for all of us.
From the article linked above:
Chris Littlecott, who leads a fossil fuel transition programme at think tank E3G, welcomed the announcement from the Italian government.
“Italy’s positive commitment to phase out coal by 2025 demonstrates real international leadership as it completes its year holding the G7 Presidency,” he said in a statement. “Italy now joins its G7 peers in Canada, France and the UK in taking action to phase out coal power generation over the next decade. Together, they can lead a growing coalition of countries and regions that are now acting on coal.”
Craig,
“Italy’s Commitment To Ban Coal Creates a G7 Majority”
Great headline ! Great headline, but how much reality ? Italy already has Europe’s highest electricity prices and imports power from France and Switzerland.
Italy only has one coal mine still in production. Carbosulcis Coal Mine in Sardinia is one of Europe’s largest coal reserves with 2.5 billion tonnes of sub-bituminous coal. Carbosulcis Coal Mine future is doubtful. The coal is of very poor quality and expensive to extract.
EU directivess and policy have prevented the mine from modernizing or even exporting. EU opposition requires the only buyer for Carbosulcis coal must be Italy’s electricity company, and that must be at an annul reducing tonnage. Under those regulatory handicaps Carbosulcis, an already marginal mine, has no future.
No one has yet announced how the abandonment of such a large mine will be rehabilitated, and who will foot the environmental bill.
Until the 1960’s Italian electricity generation was over 80% generated by Hydro-electric and Geo-thermal. However much of southern and rural Italy lacked electricity coverage.
Modernization of Italy in the 1960’s created a huge growth in demand and Fossil fuels became the largest source of electrical generation. Fossil fuels account for 72.7% of total production, with Natural Gas being the largest percentage ( 59.5%) Coal (21.6%)Petroleum, (4.3%)Solid Combustibles (biomass, waste, bitumen, and others) Other Gases 2%.
Italy imports natural gas mostly from Africa. Italian Natural Gas production is in decline. In 1995 720 billion cubic feet was produced but by 2016 production was less than 232 billion cubic feet.
Italy has met this drop in production by importing more electricity, lowering demand, importing Natural Gas, increasing Geo-thermal and Hydro production.
Increasing Solar and Wind seemed very promising, but after an early boom, Solar and Wind have stalled as huge government incentives were reduced.
The wording of the Italian government’s declaration makes it quite clear this is an ‘aspiration’ not a binding commitment. A ‘symbolic gesture at best.
EU states are very adept at ‘symbolic’ gestures. They rely upon a gullible media, to misrepresent “aspirations” as policy commitments.
Italy is a nation of 60,589,445 people living on 116,347 sq miles, with a GDP of just under $3 trillion. Energy is crucial to the economy and the prosperity of Italy.