ITALY DUMPS NUCLEAR

Nuclear vote forces Italy to ponder renewables
Mathieu Gorse, June 14, 2011 (AFP)

"The resounding no from Italians to nuclear power…will force the government to adopt a new strategy based increasingly on renewable energy…Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi…[said Italy] will have to commit strongly to renewable energy…

"…Italy abandoned nuclear power in 1987 in another historic referendum following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster…[but] the government will have to look for new sources of energy since Berlusconi's government had set itself the target of producing 25 percent of Italy's electricity needs with nuclear by 2030."

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"In 2010, 64.8 percent of the electricity consumed in Italy was produced with fossil fuels, 22.2 percent with renewable energy and 13 percent imported including from French nuclear power stations…The government has said it will host a conference bringing together local officials and companies after the summer to fix new targets and come up with a new energy strategy before the end of the year…

"Hydroelectric power -- the main source of renewable energy in Italy -- has little scope for growth…[W]ind power is tricky because of moderate wind speeds and sea depths that make offshore wind farms difficult…Solar power also needs major subsidies at the moment…Last year, hydroelectric power accounted for 14.9 percent of electricity consumed, biomass 2.7 percent, wind power 2.5 percent, geothermal power 1.6 percent and solar power just 0.5 percent."

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"...[Gianni Chianetta, head of the solar industry group Assosolare said solar can supply eight to 10 percent by 2020 without subsidies and Luigi De Paoli, professor of energy economics at Bocconi University said New Energy could supply more than 30 percent]…

"Another key question is Italy's energy import dependency, particularly as uprisings in the Arab world are pushing up oil and gas prices…The three main gas suppliers to Italy are Russia, Algeria and -- at least before the start of military action -- Libya…The government has begun reinforcing Italy's capacity in handling liquefied natural gas, which would allow it to diversify its sources of imports...It will also aim to increase energy efficiency in new buildings to reduce consumption…"