In the latest news on geothermal energy, we reported that citizens’ associations and the Geothermal Committee of Mayors, despite the final ruling of the Council of State, were preparing new initiatives against the construction of the Castel Giorgio power plant in three different directions.
The first is to ask the National Civil Protection Department (DPCN), whose task is to protect the safety of citizens and their property, to express a clear position regarding the risks associated with the Castel Giorgio plant. Started by the Geothermal Committee and the Bolsena Lago d’Europa association, this initiative began with a letter on May 13, 2020, which received only an evasive response. A second, more in-depth letter was sent on November 24, 2020, based on the arguments of the vulcanologist Dr. Giuseppe Mastrolorenzo (senior scientist at the National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology – INGV), followed by a further letter of March 10, 2021. Neither of these letters received a reply from the DPCN. Now, on April 7, 2022, a new request has been sent. If the DPCN continues to ignore these requests, legal actions are expected, even at a European level.
The second route, managed by the Lake Bolsena association, consists in carefully following the activities of ITW LKW Geotermia Italia on the long path towards the construction of the power plant. Initially, a series of various environmental and administrative requirements must be met, such as the installation of seismic and hydrological monitoring networks. There then need to be defined safety protocols, guarantees and assurances regarding any damage from the operation of the plant as well as proof of the corporate and financial structure of the company. Requests for access to documents relating to these aspects have been sent: we will ensure that all requirements are correctly met.
The third way is to apply for a new environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the plant, also involving the European Commission. The current assessment was made almost ten years ago in March 2014, a decree which has been completely superseded and invalidated by numerous new scientific findings. Despite this, on April 23, 2021, the Ministry of Ecological Transition (MITE) extended (with an absurd argument) the terms of validity of the old EIA decree for another 5 years. We want to prevent this EIA from being further extended.
At the moment, the activities of ITW LKW Italia are hampered by the fact that state subsidies for the construction of the plant have been suspended. If we continue to oppose the project actively and audibly at all levels, we still have a good chance of blocking it.
