The Enel says goodbye to Porto Tolle – Il Sole 24 Ore

The Enel says goodbye to Porto Tolle – Il Sole 24 Ore

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This article was published on 26 September 2014 at 08:25.
The last change is the 26 September 2014 at 09:11.

Enel abandons plan to transform into a large coal-fired plant of the old Great Central Porto Tolle (Rovigo), the delta of the Po. A tangle of regulatory difficulties, local disputes between supporters and foes of the project, a criminal trial, the efforts to contain the debt are among the reasons that make you want to abandon the project 2 , 5 billion euro.

But above all, has changed the scenario: electricity consumption plummeted and the development of renewable sources of energy (about 40% of the electricity produced in Italy) take off a lot of plants, which produce losses instead kilowatt-hours.
Says Enel: “In the face of the apparent change in the energy context and the different dynamics between demand and supply of energy occurred in the last decade, much has lasted the authorization process – which is not yet concluded – for the conversion of the Porto Tolle, new alternatives should be considered for the plant polesano powered by fuel oil. “
The unions do not want the old center, off for five years, leaving employees home. A solution will be found, according to the succinct statement of Enel, which “confirms the desire to seek new solutions shared with territory and local authorities, with a view to creating value and safeguarding jobs in the plant.” In other words, you might be a tiny power plant using renewable energy (such as biomass grown in the area) instead of a middle-sized giants that after three years of construction work would give a thousand employees.

The gigantism of the central current, built in the early 80s, you can already see from the chimney, the tallest building in Italy. It is a high cylinder 250 meters from the top, swept by winds aloft, in fine weather is distinguished profile of Istria. The control panel is on the tip of the delta of the Po, on the island of Polesine Camerini, surrounded by reed beds, lagoons and crops without boundaries. The only town of Porto Tolle is larger than the entire province of Trieste and is inhabited by a handful of farmers and fishermen with a population density of only 44 persons per square kilometer, than it has on the Bhutan Himalayas.
Immediate comments from local politicians, trade unionists and environmental groups. Legambiente and WWF jointly ask that now points to renewables and jobs that they can generate. The secretary of the CGIL Polesine, Fulvio From Uncle, demanding guarantees for a few hundred jobs “with the utmost respect for the environment.” Fierce President of the Veneto, Luca Zaia: the Po Delta “not worth a disappointment so strong” and “the Enel do not think you get away cheap.” Greenpeace speaks of “a clear step in the direction of the progressive reduction of CO2 emissions.”

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