- The Italian energy ministry has approved a €502 million investment programme to support research and development for innovative energy technologies and renewables.
- The Italian government proposed a revision of the national energy and climate plan calling for lifting renewables share to 65% by 2030 from the current 55%.
The Italian energy ministry has approved a €502 million ($548.5m) investment programme to support research and development for innovative energy technologies, including renewables, that could help speed up the country’s energy transition. According to a decree signed by the Energy Ministry, the funding will be disbursed from 2024 to 2026 and available to technologies at a pre-commercial level.
The largest portion, totalling some €182 million, will be earmarked for renewable energy production. This includes projects aiming to enhance the safety and resiliency of the power grid with technologies such as energy storage. €118 million will be directed toward the production of green hydrogen, and €135 million will be allocated to study the construction of modular nuclear reactors.
Furthermore, projects involving the use of critical raw materials, advanced materials, electrolysers and biofuels will get €36 million, while initiatives aiming to improve the collaboration in the energy sector will share €11 million. This summer, the Italian government proposed a revision of the national energy and climate plan that calls for lifting the share of renewables in gross final electricity consumption to 65% by 2030 from the current 55% objective. The European Commission is expected to approve the update by June 2024.