A few months ago, Confindustria and Deloitte conducted a survey aimed at defining a strategy for the energy transition through the use of green technologies and generating a debate with institutions.
By analyzing the challenges and requests of the main players in the energy sector, the resulting document presents an interesting reflection on some potential initiatives that could impact the Italian market.
Renewable Energy in the European and Italian Context
The impact of climate change continues to have major repercussions on environmental balance, making the energy transition an absolute priority.
In addition to achieving set sustainability goals, it requires a transformation in the models of energy production, distribution, and use.
Tensions in energy and raw material markets have highlighted the vulnerability of the current Italian and European energy model.
This vulnerability stems from a strong dependence on supplies from non-EU countries and the fragility of technological and production supply chains.
For the companies involved in the survey, developing a sustainability plan without including greater energy independence appears to be a significant risk.
It would be desirable to identify "factors" that can help simplify bureaucratic and administrative procedures and promote more proactive policies.
Net-Zero Industry Act
Is there any real chance of localizing the renewable technologies value chain in Italy?
The Net-Zero Industry Act aims to promote the production of clean technologies with the goal of strengthening the EU’s strategic autonomy.
This industrial policy proposal, published in 2023, is structured around four key phases.
It identifies net-zero technologies such as photovoltaic and solar, wind, batteries and storage, electrolyzers, and fuel cells.
The Act sets a target of 40% EU domestic production by 2030 and outlines CO₂ storage capacity goals, as well as strategic projects contributing to CO₂ reduction.
To support these projects, it defines tools to speed up administrative procedures and authorizations and to coordinate funding.
The Confindustria and Deloitte Survey
The direct involvement of companies, through interviews with top management, allowed the identification of three main areas of discussion.
The market context analysis highlights opportunities for involving Italian businesses and the competitiveness of industrial supply chains.
Some of the main challenges identified in Italy include access to raw materials and the lack of technical know-how.
These issues hinder the growth of production sites, as do regulations related to the coordination of legal frameworks and the simplification of bureaucratic processes.
Authorization timelines are often excessively long, especially for the installation of renewable energy systems.
This makes it difficult to implement investment plans in the sector: more targeted actions would be desirable.
Possible solutions include the implementation and centralization of administrative procedures and the streamlining of authorizations through a unified regulatory framework.
The survey explores the dynamics of the industrial energy sectors and the critical issues faced by Italian companies.
The report offers valuable insights and testimony regarding the current role of the national context.
The key takeaway is the need to implement encouraging policies to promote and deploy the tools necessary to compete in international markets.