Italy aims to turn up renewable power to two thirds of total by 2030

MILAN (Reuters) – Italy aims to generate nearly two thirds of its electricity from renewable energy sources by the end of the decade, the energy ministry said on Friday, slightly improving targets made public three years ago.

In a revision of the country’s energy and climate plan, the ministry said Italy aimed to get 65% of its electricity from renewables by 2030, up from a previous target of 55%.

Renewables are expected to cover 40% of gross energy consumption in all the sectors – including power production, housing and transportation – by the end of the decade versus 30% in the old plan.

For heating and air conditioning, renewable sources should provide 37% of consumption and 31% in the transport sector, the ministry said.

Its ambition is that hydrogen produced without carbon emissions will cover 42% of industrial needs by 2030.

The European Commission asked each member state to submit a revised strategy for 2030 to align with the Fit-for-55 and REPowerEU energy packages, announced in the last two years, which include binding goals on the energy transition to tackle climate change.

Italy has sent its revised strategy to the European Commission, which has until June 2024 to review and approve it.

The energy ministry did not publish the complete national climate and energy plan and did not specify in its statement how much its strategy would reduce carbon emissions by 2030.

The statement also stopped short of explaining how the government plans to speed up renewable energy installations to reach the plan’s targets.

(This story has been refiled to fix a typo in paragraph 7)